Sweetest Love
by iheartbrown
Summary: Just a love story with some drama thrown in for fun!
1. Chapter 1

**Sam Mcall stood in the middle of her newly purchased bakery. She did it! She actually did it, she had something that was legit, something that she could be proud of. She could no longer contain her happiness so she started to twirl.  
**

"**Sammy what are you doing?" her brother Danny asked. He had walked in to find his little sister dancing around like a kid at Christmas.  
**

"**Nothing big brother, I'm just happy!" she said.  
**

"**I don't know what your happy about, it's gonna take a hell of a lot of work to get this place up and running by next month." Ruthie replied grimly.  
**

**Ruthie was Sam's best friend. They had only known each other for a few months but found that they were kindred spirits. They met in a bar over tequila shots and had been almost inseparable even since. Ruthie even agreed to move from Chicago to the little town of Port Charles just so Sam could be closer to Danny when he started school in a few months. Ruthie was amazed with Sam's dedication to her brother. Sam had spent months researching schools for Danny. And when she found the Banneker Academy she uprooted her entire life so that she could stay close to him. Banneker was one of the best schools for people with developmental problems like Danny. The way that Sam put her brothers needs about her own was touching and one of the reasons that Ruthie loved her so much.  
**

"**Hey now, there is no negativity in my bakery! If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't let the door hit ya, where the god lord split ya." Sam snapped. But she softens it with a sincere smile.  
**

"**I'm just saying that we have a lot of work ahead of us." Ruthie said.  
**

"**A little hard work is good for the soul. And just think of how amazing it's gonna be when were done."  
**

"**Sammy, do you think that we will make millions of dollars?" Danny asked with a twinkle in his eyes.  
**

"**I don't know about a millions, but I think that we will make enough to go see a few Philly's games this season. Watch them kill the Yankees!" she said  
**

"**Cool!" Danny responded with a huge grin.  
**

"**Alright guys, why don't you head back to the apartment and I will meet you there in a little bit and we can go over the game plan."  
**

"**Sounds good Sammy girl, where are you going?" Ruthie asked.  
**

"**I am going to get us some brain juice. I saw a little coffee shop a few blocks over."  
**

"**Ok, see you later" Ruthie said as she ushered Danny out the door and towards the car.**

**Sam thought that it seemed like a good time to explore her new surrounds and walked in the direction of the docks. Sam had always loved the water, it seems to calm her. No matter how chaotic her life was at times the water always seem to quiet her thoughts. As she stood looking out at the water she couldn't help but wonder if she had finally figured out what she was supposed to do with her life. Sam had always lived just outside of the law, running cons with her father since she could talk. Her big brown eyes made it easy to hustle tourist out of their hard earned money. No one would ever expect her to be anything other than the sweet little girl she appeared to be. But her dad taught her to use that to her advantage. She was the best thing to ever happen to Cody Mcall. Not because he loved his beautiful little girl, but because she could grift, con, and hustle better than he could by the time she was 10. Sam never really had a problem with the life she led and would probably still be conning people if it wasn't for Danny. She had always asked her dad about her mother, and he would always say the same thing. "Your mother didn't have any use for cons like us Sammy, you and me we're the same. Don't waste your time looking for someone who doesn't want to be found."  
By the time Sam was 16 Cody was nowhere to be found. Not that Sam really cared, all Cody was good for was blowing the money that she worked her ass off for. Once she was on her own she couldn't help but look for her mother. Maybe Cody had been lying to her, maybe her mother was looking for her. She would never admit it, but she hoped that when she found her mother they would have some grand reunion with hugging and crying. Mother and daughter professing their love for each other. She could not have been more wrong. When Sam finally found her mother, she found a heartless woman who was far worse than Cody described. Sam would have been able to handle that her mother didn't love or want her, she had a lifetime of people not loving her. But when she found out about Danny she was heartbroken. Her mother was so ashamed of Danny's mental problems that she kept him locked in the basement like an animal while she kept the government checks that Danny received. Sam knew that she had to get Danny out of there so she snuck in one night while her mother slept soundly upstairs and got him out of that hell hole. They never looked back. Taking care of Danny was the most important thing to Sam. She continued her less than legal activities for the next few years but had a hard time supporting herself and Danny. When she found them on the streets of Chicago with no money and no place to stay, Sam was scared. But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. While sitting on a park bench trying to come up with some way to get Danny something to eat she met a woman that would change her life. Looking across the park she saw a little bakery that had free samples sitting on a table out front. When Sam went over to get some she was stopped by a tiny lady with kind eyes. She told Sam that she had seen her and the young man sleeping in the park the last few nights, and wanted to know if she needed a place to stay. The woman, whose name was Grace offered Sam and Danny the room she had for rent above her bakery. Grace said they could stay there as long as they helped her out in the bakery everyday. Although Sam wasn't used to people helping her she really couldn't say no. Sam and Danny lived in that room above the bakery for the next 4 years. It was the first time Sam had any stability in her life, and she found that she kind of enjoyed it. Grace taught her how to bake and she loved that as well. Sam didn't know that people like Grace existed. She was generous and kind, she took care of Sam and Danny without ever wanting anything in return. She was the mother that Sam always dreamt of. But like with most things in Sam's life, it didn't last. About a year ago Grace was diagnosed with breast cancer, and 5 months later she died. Sam's bright and promising world seemed to be crashing down around her. That's why she was in the bar drowned her pain with tequila when she met Ruthie. But things weren't as bad as Sam had thought. Turns out that Grace had left Sam $100,000 when she died. Grace was taking care of them even after she was gone. Sam used the money to enroll Danny at the Banneker Academy and bought the bakery in Port Charles.  
**

**Her life had direction and promise. She was going to do right by Grace, or die trying.  
**

**Sam finally made it to the coffee shop and ordered a vanilla latte for Ruthie, a hot chocolate for Danny and an extra large black coffee for herself. While she waited for her order she found herself listening in on the conversation next to her. This was one habit that Sam couldn't seem to break. Grace and Ruthie were always yelling at her to stop ease dropping on conversations that didn't concern her. But she couldn't help it, most of the time she didn't even realize that she was doing it. This particular conversation was between a small blonde girl and young man with a peculiar way of speaking. Sam was intrigued.  
**

"**Spinelli you promised that you would take me to dinner tonight, you can't just cancel because Jason asked you too. You have a life too Spinelli, I don't understand why Jason thinks that he can just demand your time. And I don't understand why you let him."  
**

"**I don't disagree with my Maximista, however Stonecold expressed his dire need for the Jackal this evening. I promise I will make it up to you ten fold." The young man replied. Sam wondered if everyone in Port Charles had strange names or if it was just the way this kid talked.  
**

"**Fine Spinelli, whatever, I have to get back to work before Kate realizes that I have been gone 3 minutes longer that I was supposed to be. I love you!" and with that the talkative young woman blew past Sam while the young man turned his attention back to the laptop in front of him. Sam was so caught up in the conversation that she didn't notice that her order was ready. The young man finally cleared his throat bringing Sam back to her reality. She smiled at the young man who she assumed was Spinelli, grabbed her coffee and headed out the door to meet up with Danny and Ruthie. **

**Jason Morgan sat at his desk looking over the paperwork that Bernie had sent over. He was having a hard time keeping his eyes open, let alone concentrate. He had been kept up half the night listen to Spinelli and Maxie go at it. Just the thought of Spinelli having sex was awful but to actually hear was unbearable. He was glad that Spinelli had found happiness even if it was with Maxie. Jason couldn't stand the woman, she never seemed to shut up. Sometimes while she was talking Jason would find himself imaging unique and painful ways to keep her quiet. Not that he would ever lift a finger against her, he couldn't hurt Spinelli like that. If he was honest with himself he would admit that he was jealous of what they had. Yes, Jason Morgan was lonely. He had been single since he divorced Courtney 3 years ago. He thought that he had found love with her, only to be told later that she couldn't handle the violence that surrounded his life. She left him. They always left him. He had picked up a few women over the years at Jake's brought them home for a little fun, but he could never bring himself to call them the next day. He came to the realization that the life he led meant that he would be alone. Most days he was fine with it. But sometimes he wished he had someone to hold. His best friend Carly tried to set him up on a few blind dates but he would always tell her that he was too busy with work to date. Jason was pulled out of his thoughts when the door to his penthouse opened and Spinelli flew in.  
**

"**Stonecold, the Jackal is here to provide you with any assistance that you require"  
**

"**Good, I need you to deal with the transfer from the offshore accounts, I have to take care of something and Bernie needs it done by this afternoon" Jason replied  
**

"**Have no fear, the Jackal will handle all off your banking needs." Spinelli answered and went right to work on his computer.  
**

"**Alright, I will see you later. Oh, if you and Maxie are going to be spending time here could you try to keep it down. Some people need to get some sleep."  
**

"**Deepest apologies Stonecold, I was unaware that the walls of the regrettably pink room did not contain the love that Maximista and I share."  
**

**Jason just shook his head and walked out the door.**


	2. Chapter 2

**"Why don't you just marry it Sam!" Danny said with a chuckle.**

"**Seriously, this is the best coffee that I have every had in my entire life, and I have had a lot of coffee" Sam said as she took a sip. She had been talking about how great this coffee was for at least the last 15 minutes and to say that Danny and Ruthie found it amusing was an understatement. Sam and coffee were like peas and carrots.  
**

"**I'm going to call down to that coffee shop and see where they get this because I want to sell it at the bakery. This coffee alone would keep me coming back." Sam said and she grabbed her cell phone to make the call.  
**

**After talking to the guy at the coffee shop for about 10 minutes she found out that the coffee was purchased from a local import company by the name of Corinthos-Morgan. She knew that the names sounded familiar but she couldn't quiet place them.  
**

"**So it turns out that this delectable coffee is distributed locally, Corinthos-Morgan" Sam said satisfied with herself.  
**

"**Corintos-Morgan, Sam do you know who that is?" Ruthie asked  
**

"**I thought that the names sounded familiar, who are they?" Sam asked  
**

"**Michael 'Sonny' Corinthos, alleged mob king pin! He is on the news all the time. Off shore casinos, money laundering, murder! You don't want to get involved with a guy like that." Ruthie remarked  
**

"**Hummmm! Well I bet that the coffee business is a front for any illegal activities but if he is at all smart then it's probably completely legit. Plus I doubt Mr. Mob Boss gets involved in anything himself. It will be fine stop worrying your pretty blonde head."  
**

"**Sam, since when do you know about business fronts for the mob?" Ruthie asked  
**

"**Well as we all know Sam Mcall has not always lived the straight and narrow. I have run across a gangster or two in the past. There not all like the movie "Godfather". Plus me getting my coffee from them hardly allies me with the mob." Sam said while finishing off the rest of her coffee.**

"**Fine, just don't say I didn't warn you!" Ruthie said, as she got up and went to the bathroom.**

**

* * *

**

****

Sam, Ruthie, and Danny had spent the last 3 weeks working day and night getting the bakery up and running. They had there big grand opening next week and everything seemed to be going smoothly. Everything except the coffee. Sam had been going back and forth with the people at Corinthos-Morgan for weeks and they refused to cut her any breaks. They told her that they mainly supply large companies and it wouldn't be to their benefit to supply such a small business. They could only offer her the same rates that they offer all of there other customers. The problem with that was Sam couldn't afford it. The man that she was dealing with was a complete ass and wouldn't budge at all. Ruthie kept saying that she should just let it go, that it was fates way of telling her she shouldn't be involved with a company that had mob ties. The thing was once Sam got an idea in her head, it was next to impossible to get her to let go of it. So Sam found herself standing in front of the Corinthos-Morgan offices ready to storm in there and make them supply her bakery with their delicious coffee at rates that were reasonable. She was nervous. Sam didn't have any business experience, Grace had taught her how to bake but she never really went into the business aspects with her. Sam was just making all this stuff up as she went along. She just hoped that she could use her "people" skills to get what she wanted. Sam could talk her way in and out of almost every situation, why should this be any different. She walked in.

**Jason sat behind his office desk trying to get some work done. He was chased out of his penthouse earlier that morning when Maxie showed up with decorating magazines stating that it was time that he allowed Spinelli to redesign his pink room. Jason was too tired to go around and around with Maxie so he told them to do whatever they wanted and left.  
**

"**God dammit, this woman is going to be the death of me." Jason heard John yell. John was his office manger. He handles all the business that was legal. He had been having a hard time the last few weeks, having to deal with some lady that just wouldn't seem to take no for an answer.  
**

"**She's at it again?" Jason asked with a slight smile.  
**

"**Listen Mr. Morgan, I am not one to back down, but this woman is like a pit bull, she won't give up. I know that if we give in to her rate request that it will just open the door for a ton of other small business to try and gouge us, but I just don't know what to do!" John said utterly defeated.  
**

"**John, it's really not that big of a deal, it's not like we depend on the money that the coffee business brings in. I appreciate you doing your job but…" Jason was interrupted by a loud voice in the front office. He looked to John whose face was drained of color.  
**

"**She's back!" he said grimly. Jason couldn't help but chuckle.  
**

"**Alright, John take a break I'll deal with her. You can even duck out the back door so she won't be able to see you." Jason said. John looked like he wanted to hug him, but knew better than to try. Jason stood up from his desk rubbed his hands over his face and set off to face the woman who had his office manager running for the hills.  
**

**As he walked into the front office his breath caught in his throat. Standing there with her hands placed defiantly on her hips was the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. She was small couldn't have been more that 5 feet tall, with curves in all the right places. She had long chestnut hair that fell past her shoulders. Full lips and big brown eyes. She was gorgeous. He realized then that she was looking at him funny, he must have looked like an idiot just staring at her.  
**

"**Umm, was that you out here making all the noise?" he asked trying to remember what he was supposed to talk to her about.  
**

"**Yeah, I was in the middle of a conversation with John, and the next thing I know he runs into that office and doesn't come back. I mean you guys have amazing coffee but you really should work on your people skills." She said  
**

"**Oh, you're the one that has been giving John a hard time. You actually made him run out the back door." Jason was able to get a handle on his thoughts and hold a normal conversation.  
**

"**Well if he would just listen to reason I wouldn't have to be such a bitch."  
**

"**That's good, to know what you want and go after it. I was just speaking with John and we decided that since you have been so persistent that we would agree to supply your bakery at the rates you're requested. On one condition." Jason replied  
**

"**What's the condition?" Sam asked not really liking where this guy was going.  
**

"**That you stop scaring the shit out of my employees." Jason said with a grin.  
**

"**Oh come on, I wasn't that bad." She said and couldn't help but smile back. When this guy came out of the back office her knees went weak. He was amazing! Tall and muscular, strong broad shoulders accented by his tight black t-shirt. He had spiky dark blonde hair and the most mesmerizing blue eyes that she had ever seen. But she couldn't let her self get swept up in a pretty face. She stood her ground and spoke with the gorgeous man about what she wanted. She was pleasantly surprised when he agreed to her rates and even made a joke about her scaring his employees. And just when she thought things couldn't get any better, he smiled. His smile changed his whole face. He looked lighter and she found herself drowning. She then realized that she was just staring at him and she should probably say something.  
**

"**So you said your employees, does that mean your Mr. Corinthos?" she asked, he didn't seem like a mobster. He did have hardness to him but he had a kindness in his eyes that she had only seen in her friend Grace.  
**

"**No, sorry I didn't introduce myself. I'm Jason Morgan." He said and held out his hand.  
**

"**Sam Mcall, nice to meet you Mr. Morgan, and thank you for seeing things my way." She replied and took his hand in hers. As soon as their hands touched there was a spark that ran through both of them. They dropped each others hand quickly and looked away. Both wondering if the other felt the same jolt when they touched.  
**

"**Yeah, well like I said your persistence is something to be admired. So you're opening M&M Bakery over on Powell St, right? How's that going?" Jason asked trying to keep her there as long as he could.  
**

"**It's going good, all of our hard work is finally starting to pay off. And now that I got the best coffee on the east coast nothing can go wrong." She said enjoying talking to him.  
**

"**You said our hard work, you have partners?" he asked hoping that she wasn't going to say something about a husband or boyfriend.  
**

"**Partners no, but my brother and my best friend have been helping me. It's just the three of us so it's been a lot of work getting things together. And I supposed its just going to get worse once the doors open right?" she didn't know why but she felt very comfortable talking to him, like they had known each other forever. It was an unfamiliar feeling for Sam, her life had taught her not to trust people easily. Yet she felt like she would do anything this man asked he without questions. She wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing though.  
**

"**I suppose, don't know much about running a bakery. But I have heard a lot of people talking about coming by your place once it opens. That's actually one of the reason I agreed to be your coffee supplier, it's a good way to get our name out there." He said he was surprised he was talking so much, he never talked this much.  
**

"**Oh and here I thought it was because you thought I was cute." Sam said before she could stop herself. She was flirting, Sam didn't flirt. What was this guy doing to her? She felt her face blush and she hoped that he didn't notice.  
**

"**There's that too." Was she blushing? Am I flirting? What was this woman doing to him?  
**

"**Okay, well thank you again for taking a shot with such a small business, I really do appreciate it. And make sure you let John know that I won't be bothering him anymore. It was really nice meeting you." She had to get out of there before she couldn't control herself anymore and mauled him.  
**

"**You too Miss Mcall." He didn't want her to leave but it was probably a good idea that she did before he did something stupid like kiss her.  
**

"**It's Sam, I'm not big on being formal. So how bout you call me Sam and I call you Jason?" she said with a smile.  
**

"**Deal. I hope to see you around Sam."  
**

"**Yeah, you should come by the grand opening next week, I'll hook you up with some free coffee. It's the best coffee on the east coast." She joked.  
**

"**That's what I hear." And on that note he turned around to head back to his office. He looked over his shoulder just in time to catch her wave from just outside the door. He waved back and thought how much his day had improved.**

**

* * *

**

**The next week flew by for Sam. She spent every waking hour in the bakery. When she did go home she was rewarded with lectures from Ruthie about how stupid she was for flirting with Jason Morgan. She hadn't meant to tell Ruthie about her instant attraction to the man but it slipped out in conversation one night. Ruthie even went online to dig up all the public records involving Jason. All of his arrests and trials, everything that he had ever done wrong. Nothing Sam said swayed Ruthie though, she told Sam that she would do whatever it took to keep her away from the notorious hit man. She knew that what Ruthie was saying was true, it was obvious that Jason Morgan was a dangerous man but there was just something about him that pulled her in. She couldn't stop thinking about him. She was even dreaming about him. Truth be told there was something exciting about the fact that Jason did what he did. Sam had spent the last 4 years living a steady calm life and she enjoyed it. It was good for Danny and that made it worth it, but there were time when she was bored and craved a little danger. And she hoped that Jason could provide her with the rush that she was looking for.  
The bakery's big opening was 2 days away and she needed a break. She had called Ruthie and told her that she was going to be out late and to keep an eye on Danny for her. Ruthie was reluctant but she knew how hard Sam had been working and thought that she deserved a night out. She just hoped that she would steer clear of the blue-eyed hit man that she would mumble about in her sleep.  
**

**Sam found herself out side of a bar called Jake's, it looked like a place to let her hair down and have a little fun. As she walked in she felt a familiar wave come over her. Sam had spent a lot of time in bars, most before she was even 21. Her father would send her in to lure the drunken men out so that he could rob them. Most bars smelled the same like stale beer and smoke. She walked up to the bar and ordered a shot of tequila and a beer. The long haired bartender looked her up and down before pouring the shot.  
**

"**You must be new in town, cause I never forget a pretty face, names Coleman." He slurred  
**

"**Really?" she just raised her eyebrows, downed the shot, grabbed the beer and walked over toward the table in the corner. As she sat there she just watched the patrons interact with each other. There were two men sitting across the bar playing poker, the one with the beard was awful. He had tells that she could see from all the way across the place, it was no wonder the other man with the greasy hair was taking him to the cleaners. Sam loved poker, it was the only thing that Cody taught her that she actually enjoyed. She thought that it might be a fun way to spend her evening so she sauntered over and asked if she could play. The man with the long hair talked straight at her chest.  
**

"**Pretty thing like you, don't you think you might get hurt." He asked trying to sound sexy but failing miserably.  
**

"**Well I'd like to take my chances, whatta you say boys, think you can handle little ol' me?" she new how to play men. They were easy.  
**

**Two hours later, Sam had taken every penny the two men had. It wasn't a lot just under $200 dollars, but it was enough to pay her tab at the end of the night. As she got up to walk away the man with the beard grabbed her by the wrist.  
**

"**Not so fast, you gotta at least give us a chance to win our money back." He demanded  
**

"**I have given you plenty of opportunity to win your money back, face it you're not that good." Sam wasn't worried she knew how to handle herself, plus the guy was wasted. She twisted her hand out of his grasp and went back over to the bar and asked for a bottle of Jack and a glass. She paid her tab and walked over to the table in the corner. It was still pretty early and she was already a little drunk. She figured she might as well go all the way. When she finished the bottle she got up and headed for the door. She was way past drunk so she decided to walk home. She got about a block before she felt someone behind her. She turned around and saw the two men from the bar coming up behind her.  
**

"**Hey bitch, you hustled us and we want our money back!" the greasy one yelled.  
**

**Sam knew this was not a good situation. It wouldn't have been so bad if she wasn't piss drunk. She sped up quickly walked around the corner and ran straight into what felt like a brick wall. She stumbled backwards and braced herself for the ground but it never came. Instead she found herself surrounded by two strong arms. She looked up and realized it was Jason Morgan.  
**

"**Hey Jason, I had a dream about you last night." As soon as she saw him she forgot all about the two men that were chasing her.  
**

"**You're drunk." he chuckled  
**

"**Yeah, well you're gorgeous! Oh I probably shouldn't have said that, but I'm drunk, but you just said that didn't you. God I should just stop talking.  
**

**Jason couldn't help but smile. She was adorable when she was drunk. Hell she was adorable when she was sober. He liked how she rambled and he was very interested in that dream that she referred to. He wondered if it was anything like the dreams he had been having about her for the last week. Every since this tiny brunette walked into his office he couldn't seem to get her off his mind. His thoughts were interrupted when two men came around the corner.  
**

"**Where that bitch go." One said  
**

"**Oh shit, I forgot about them. These guys don't like me Jason cause I took them to the cleaners earlier at this bar called Jakes, have you ever been there? It's a nice place as far as shitty bars go. They even have a sleazy bartender that hits on you." Sam rambled  
**

"**You guys should probably just turn around and go the other way" Jason warned the two men.  
**

"**No that whore there stole our money, and we want it back. Maybe we could take it in trade she one hot piece." The man sneered  
**

"**I said walk away." Jason wasn't as nice that time. He looked at them and they knew that he wasn't a man that you mess with. The two men turned and stumbled away looking for another hole to crawl into. Jason looked down at the beautiful woman that was still in his arms, mostly because he was afraid that if he let go she would fall. She was staring at him with those brown eyes that had been haunting his dreams.  
**

"**God that was hot, you are sexy as hell!" Sam purred  
**

"**Okay, time to get you home." Jason choked out as his pants tighten. He had to fight with everything in him not to take her up against the wall right then and there. But she was clearly drunk and he wasn't that kind of guy.  
**

"**Sam where do you live?" he asked  
**

"**Umm, I live with Ruthie and Danny. We have an apartment."  
"Okay, that's good. Where is it at Sam?" Jason probed  
**

"**Hold on one second." Sam pulled her cell phone from her pocket and dialed Ruthie.  
**

"**Hello?" came the sleepy voice of her best friend.  
**

"**Ruthie, it's me Sam. Hey I need to know where I live." Sam asked. Jason looked at her and smiled. She was a funny drunk.  
**

"**SAM! Are you drunk? Where are you? I'm coming to get you. Stay put." Ruthie was clearly upset.  
**

"**NO, no, no I'm good, I mean yeah I am drunk but Jason rescued me from the greasy guy and the beard guy. I think he is gonna bring me home but I don't know where that is right now. So if you could just remind me I would be grateful."  
**

"**JASON! As in JASON MORGAN, the professional killer. Really good Sam your drunk and with him." Sam's friend screeched in to the phone so loud that Jason heard her. He motioned for Sam to hand him the phone. She smiled a crooked smile and handed him the phone.  
**

"**Hi Ruthie is it? This is Jason Morgan the coffee importer. I know this situation is a little strange but I just ran into Sam and she's pretty drunk. I don't want you to have to come out at this time of night so if you could just give me her address I would be happy to get her home safely. Trust me, I won't let anything happen to her." Jason tried to persuade Sam's friend to allow him to escort her home. He wasn't sure if she was going to go for it since she obviously knew what he did for a living.  
**

"**Okay, but I swear to god if you hurt one hair on her head you will be picking your teeth up off the ground got it."  
**

"**Got it!" Jason had been threatened a lot over the years but this was the first time it made him happy. He was glad that Sam had people in her life that were looking out for her. He was pretty sure that she could take care of herself but everyone needs someone in their corner when times get rough. He had Carly, most of the time he wanted to strangle her but when the cards were down she was there for him.  
**

"**The address here is 7831 Merlot, apartment 3. If she isn't here in the next 15 minutes I am calling the cops and reporting her kidnapped." And with that she hung up.  
**

"**Alright Miss Mcall, lets get you home." Jason said as he looked down he noticed that Sam had passed out. He had never seen someone pass out while standing up. He thought that she was beautiful before but watching her sleep took his breath away. He didn't know anything about her. He had only spoken to her the one time but he saw something in her eyes. She had strength about her, a determination. It wasn't an unattractive quality, it was actually kind of sexy. But when she slept she look peaceful. Like she didn't have a care in the world. He picked her up and carried her to his car. He pulled up to the apartment building with 5 minutes to spare. He walked around to the passenger side of the car and unbuckled her seatbelt and scooped her into his arms again. The way she fit in his arms was amazing. It seemed to him like it was where she was meant to be. Jason didn't understand why he was thinking the way he was. It wasn't like him to pine after some woman he barely knew. But there was something about her it just pulled him in. As he opened the door to the building Sam started to stir in his arms. When her eyes opened he noticed a panic set in.  
**

"**It's okay, you passed out. I just wanted to make sure you got home okay." He tried to reassure her.  
**

"**Oh my god! This is so embarrassing." She said into his chest. Trying to hide the fact that her face was most likely bright red.  
**

"**Jason, I think that I can walk, you don't have to carry me to my door." She tried to maintain at least some sort of dignity even though she was thoroughly enjoying the way it felt to be in his arms.  
**

"**Right, sorry." He put her back on her feet but held on for a second to make sure she didn't fall over. After a few wobbles she regained her equilibrium and walked the rest of the way on her own accord. When they arrived at her front door she turned to him.  
**

"**Well, thanks for the save. I hope you don't think that I am some sort of lush or something. It's just that I have been working so hard trying to get the bakery going and I just needed a night out. I shouldn't have started with tequila it always gets to me like this."  
**

"**Sam, it's okay. I don't think you're a lush. You are a funny drunk though. I am just glad that I was in the right place at the right time." He stared into her eyes and seemed to lose track of time. For a moment it was just the two of them. He knew that she was most likely still feeling the effects of the alcohol and these weren't the best circumstances for a first kiss but he couldn't help it. He leaned down and noticed that she had closed her eyes. Their lips were so close that he could taste her breath.  
**

**The door to her apartment flew open. He quickly pulled back as Sam opened her eyes.  
**

"**SAMANTHA MCALL, get your drunken ass in this apartment right now!" Ruthie was standing in the doorway in pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. Arms crossed over her chest, foot tapping impatiently on the ground.  
**

**Sam turned and glared at her best friend. She knew that she was most likely worried about her but that didn't give her the right to talk to her like she was a child.  
**

"**Ruthie, I will be one second." Sam pushed her friend out of the doorway and closed the door in her face.  
**

"**Sorry about that, she worries. Thanks again Jason. You're a good guy!" Sam stretched up on her tiptoes and gave Jason a sweet kiss on the cheek.  
**

"**You don't need to thank me, it was my pleasure. So I guess I'll see you around." Jason said disappointed that they were interrupted.  
**

"**You are coming to my opening on Saturday right?" she asked with hope  
**

"**Of course, wouldn't miss it. Got to make sure my coffee is being well represented."  
**

"**SAM! Get inside now!" they heard Ruthie yell from the other side of the door.  
**

"**I better get in there before I get grounded. See you Saturday Jason. Good night." She kept her eyes on him while she opened the door and walked inside.  
**

"**Good night Sam." He said not breaking the eye contact. Then she gave him a huge smile and closed the door.  
**

"**Oh boy! I am in trouble." She said with her back against the door. She had been right Jason Morgan was a good man. And after tonight she knew that she wouldn't be able to stay away from him. Dangerous or not.**

**Jason walked out of the building and got into his car. He wasn't one to smile, but he found himself smiling whenever he thought about Sam. And at that moment he couldn't wipe the smile off his face if he wanted to.  
**

"**Oh boy! I am in trouble." And for the first time in his life he was looking forward to it.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sam groan and tried to open her eyes, "God, could someone please turn down the sun! Why is it so freaking bright in here?" she looked around for some way to tell what time it was. Finally she saw the clock near the TV that read 7:40am. "Crap!" The one thing that Sam absolutely despised about working at a bakery was the need to be up at the crack of dawn. Sure she had 4 years of practice but it was still an ordeal for her to rise before the sun. She jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. Splashing some water on her face and giving her teeth a much needed brushing. Then put on some clean clothes and headed out towards the kitchen. She needed coffee and aspirin if she was going to make it through the day. She could hear Ruthie and Danny talking quietly in the front room, and was hoping that she would be able to avoid the lecture she was sure to get. "Hey there sleepy head." Danny said as she made her way into the room.**

"**Not so loud Danny, I have a bit of a headache this morning."  
**

"**Well, that's gods way of tell you, that you were a very naughty girl last night Sam." Ruthie said while clicking her tongue on the roof of her mouth. Sam just rolled her eyes, hoping that would be the extent of what she got from Ruthie. Luckily there was a knock on the door right as Ruthie was about to continue. **

"**I'll get it" Danny said as he jumped off the couch and ran to the door. Sam was craning her neck so that she could see who it was, she couldn't really make out a face but she could tell that it was man in what she thought was a very expensive suit. **

"**Thank you." Danny said as he shut the door. When he turned around he held a beautiful bouquet of lilies, a large cup of coffee and a small bag. "Here the man said these are for you Sam, who do you think they are form?"  
**

"**I don't know, give me them" she cried like a little girl who had her toys taken away. Danny handed her the gifts. Sam opened the bag and pulled out a bottle of aspirin and a card. The card was simple and too the point  
**

**Sam,  
I hope that you feel better. Good luck tomorrow. I will see you there  
Jason  
**

**When Ruthie walked back into the room she saw her best friend sitting on the couch with a dreamy smile plastered on her face and she knew that Sam was in trouble. "Hey Danny can you go and see if I left my sunglasses in your room yesterday? I can't find them anywhere." She asked trying to get some alone time **

**with Sam. **

"**Sure." He said as he left the room.  
**

"**Ruthie…" Sam started but was interrupted.  
**

"**Sam, just let me talk please. I know all about your history with men, you have bad judgment when it comes to them. You are always able to pick the one that is going to hurt you. Luckily I haven't actually seen you get your heartbroken, I have only heard the stories. It is obvious to me that you like this guy. And he obviously likes you too. I want to tell you to run the other way because this guy is trouble, but I saw the way he was looking at you last night and now with this" she said holding up the flowers, "I think that MAYBE he is a good guy." Ruthie said her voice laced with apprehension. Sam smiled knowing that her friend was just looking out for her. And Ruthie was right Sam always seemed to pick the one guy that was gaur teed to break her heart. But she knew that Jason was different, and she wanted to get to know him. Sam was smarter now that she had been in the past. She was going to jump into anything.  
**

"**I think that he is a good guy too." Sam said the smile returning to her face. "And he is not too bad to look at either, he is hot Sammy girl!" Ruthie said while grabbing the flowers and heading to the kitchen to put them in water. Sam couldn't argue with that.**

**Sam, Danny, and Ruthie headed toward the bakery, they had a lot of things to get done before they opened their doors tomorrow morning. Sam had to get everything ready to be put in the oven first in the morning. Danny was going to do some touch up painting in the bathrooms and Ruthie was going to do whatever else needed to be done. They worked straight through the morning and as the day eased into the afternoon they all needed a break. Ruthie agreed to take Danny with her to go get some sandwiches from the deli they had seen the other day. Sam was happy to get a little time to herself. She was nervous that tomorrow was going to be full of problems because that is the way that things worked for her. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard Danny speaking to someone that wasn't Ruthie. She thought they had already left to get lunch "Danny, who are you talking to?" Sam asked walking out of the kitchen. "Sammy, this is Jason, he said that he was looking for you?" Sam smiled when she saw Jason standing in the middle of the room talking with her brother. "HI" she said and it seemed kind of anti-climatic. Like she should have come up with something else to say. "Hi" he replied back. "Danny, I thought you were going to get me lunch?"  
**

"**I am Sammy, but Ruthie forgot her purse, so I ran into get it." Danny grabbed the purse and ran out the door with a wave. **

"**Bye Sam, bye Jason"  
**

"**Bye" the both said at the same time. "So I see you met my brother, Danny." Sam said suddenly nervous to be alone with him. "Yeah he seems like a good guy"  
**

"**He's the best." Sam said while staring at the ground like it held the answers to life's questions. She was glad when she heard the timer in the kitchen go off. "I have to get that, care to join me?" she asked hoping that he would say yes. He simply nodded and followed her. "So thank you for the flowers and the coffee, and the aspirin it was like a god send this morning. And thank you for last night. I just wanted to apologize again for being such a mess." She rambled a bit but she hoped that he wouldn't notice that she was clearly uncomfortable. **

"**Sam you need to stop thanking me, I really didn't do anything. Just gave you a ride home." He said in a matter of fact tone, like he was the designated driver for all of Port Charles. **

"**Right, so what are you doing here? I wasn't expecting anyone till tomorrow." She was curious. **

"**Well I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He said concern in his voice. **

"**Yeah, I'm good." The conversation died then. They both just stood there looking anywhere but at each other neither one enjoying the silence. **

"**So, just you Danny and Ruthie running this place?" he asked trying to alleviate some of the silence.  
**

"**Yup, they are my family."  
**

"**Danny is your only sibling? What about you parents?" he knew that these questions were a little too personal for the conversation they were having but he couldn't help himself. He wanted to know everything about her. **

"**Wow, my family. That is a conversation that would take hours, but the simple answer would be yes, Danny is my only brother. I sort of stole him from my bitch of a mother. She kept him locked in the basement because she was ashamed of his disability. I have been taking care of him ever since. He is the reason I do anything." Sam said shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She hadn't meant to tell him all that, the words just fell out of her mouth when she opened it. Good Sam way to burden him with your fucked up life right out of the gate. "Sorry, I didn't really mean to tell you all that." It was just so easy to talk to him, she found herself saying whatever was in her head even when she didn't want to. **

"**Don't worry about it, I asked right? It obvious he loves you, and only spoke with him for like 2 minutes." Jason tried to ease the tension. She obviously felt awkward revealing that particular part of her life to him. **

"**He is sweet. I still remember how he looked the first time I saw him. I asked him his name and he just shook his head. The bill of his Philly's hat covering his face. The hat looked filthy, old, the bill was cracked down the middle and it had an oily line of dirt circling the rim. His shoulders were dusty, his white t-shirt was thin from too many washings and faded to a dingy gray. The denim shorts hugged his waist and they were too small. The sight made my heart clench and my gut churn. No one had been taking care of him for a long time." Sam hadn't thought about that day in forever. And she had no clue why she just spilled her heart out to this man that she barely knew. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. She fought to hold them back. Jason was stunned at her admission. He liked the fact that she trusted him enough to tell him about what was clearly a difficult memory. He didn't really know what to say. **

"**Well he has you now, so I think that makes him one of the luckiest guys in the world."  
**

**A small smile glossed over her lips as her hand slid over to cup his cheek. "You, Jason Morgan, are a beautiful man. You know that?"  
**

"**What do you mean?" Men weren't beautiful, and he was too big and bulky to be considered anything but lumbering. And even though he was the man and thought he should be doing the comforting, he suddenly liked that she was touching him, soothing him. He stared at her, stood perfectly still, afraid that he wanted too much. Her hand was satin smooth on his rough, stubbly skin, and he could smell her as she leaned toward him. She was like wildflowers, fragrant and riotous, bold and attention-grabbing with her scent and color.  
**

"**I mean that you are a good guy. One of the very few. And I'm glad that I met you."  
**

**She kissed him. A light press of her mouth to his, lips cool and soft on him, then quickly gone.  
She sighed. "Thank you."  
**

**He wasn't sure what the hell she was thanking him for, but he wasn't above accepting a little more gratitude. Without thinking over whether it was wise or not, he closed the distance between them and kissed her back. A tentative, questing kiss that quickly shifted into long, lingering, luscious.  
**

**She gave a little gasp of surprise somewhere along the way that opened up her mouth and let him pull her bottom lip into his mouth and suck gently. He'd closed his eyes at the first salty taste of her and somehow wrapped his arms around her back, tugging her closer to him.  
**

**Sam's hand snaked from his cheek around the back of his neck, and he cupped her bare flesh above her waistband, drowning, aching, burning. It was more than a kiss, it was a conversation and he was telling her that he hurt for her, for Danny, for himself and her emotions echoed his. It felt good to unburden. To share her pain, to give in to the attraction he had felt since the first time he'd seen Sam.  
**

**Sometimes it was hard to be slow and steady. She was so amazingly gorgeous, so hot in his arms, so passionate.  
Their kiss was going deeper and deeper, leaving behind any doubts that this was a friendly kiss of compassion. The kitchen was filled with the sound of their desperate breathing, their little gasps, and he was really, really thinking that no woman had ever tasted quite so good. So eager. So delicious.  
**

**He didn't know Sam or her world, and he didn't understand his own attraction to her, but he understood that there were some things that weren't going to make sense, and he and Sam Mcall were very compatible.  
**

**At least their lips were.  
**

**And their thighs seemed to have a nice fit.  
**

**Everything fit, and everything felt so god dam good, and he was shifting his hands down lower, lower while his mouth moved over hers.  
**

"**Jason," she whispered, clutching at his shoulders when he found her backside and stroked it.  
**

"**Hmm?" She had a really wonderful neck, graceful and smooth, and his lips slid across it with little effort. Her firm little ass rested in his hands, and he indulged in a squeeze, enjoying the way her breath caught.  
**

**Sam was a mysterious mix of strong, yet fragile, sassy, yet vulnerable, and he was losing his grip on reality. He just wanted her – fast, slow, some, all – whichever way she was willing.  
**

"**I think I hear Danny." And she wrenched herself out of his arms, smoothing down her apron, and clamping her swollen, shiny lips closed.  
**

**Nothing like the mention of another's guy's name, even it was her brother, to douse his dick in ice water.  
**

"**Oh. Okay. Sorry." For taking a nothing kiss and turning it in to mating season for tongues.  
**

"**Don't be sorry," she said, though her eyes were focused somewhere over his shoulder.  
**

**He knew that the wall behind him was not that exciting. It shouldn't be pulling her attention away from him at this particular moment. Unless she wanted it to, because he had kissed her where a kiss wasn't wanted. "Look, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable here. I'm, well, sorry if I got … carried away."  
Shit, he was blushing. He could feel it. Heat rising in both cheeks. Damn. "Just forget it ever happened, Sam."  
**

**He had taken a moment of vulnerability on her part and taken advantage of it. He had taken one teeny itty bitty little old kiss and gone down and dirty on her. He was pathetic. He was a dirt bag.  
**

**He was horny.  
**

"**You want me to forget it?" her eyes narrowed, and she looked a little put out.  
**

**God, he could not chase her away because he couldn't keep it in his pants. "Yes, absolutely. Just forget it, and I'll forget it and we can forget it together, so that we're just the way we were a little bit ago."  
**

**There was a long pause.  
**

**Then she said, "You're and idiot," with a disdainful toss of her hair. "I'll be out front having lunch with Danny Mr. It Never Happened. I saw your keys on the counter in the other room. And put on some sunscreen. The tips of your ears are red, and skin cancer is preventable.  
**

**Sam turned and walked out of the kitchen through the back door. Her hips swaying and her chin up in the air.  
Well. She didn't ask me to leave. That was good.  
**

**Except he had the strangest feeling that she was mad at him.  
Jason touched his ears, though he didn't think it was ultraviolet rays that had caused the flush.  
**

**He was an idiot. An idiot to kiss Sam Mcall and to think that she could ever be interested in a thug like him.**

* * *

**Sam had been up since about 2am baking and getting everything ready. The doors of M&M Bakery where opening in a few hours and she still had a lot of work to do. She was making cookies, cupcakes, muffins, croissants, scones, and her personal favorite macadamia nut brittle. It was Grace's secret recipe, she found it on a trip that she had made to Hawaii when she was younger. It was a little tricky to make but Sam had gotten it down pat over the years. It was a good thing that Sam could do most of the baking while on auto pilot because her head defiantly wasn't where it should be. She could not stop thinking about Jason and that kiss. God, that kiss. Never had a kiss made her feel so breathless. And that is why when it was over she panicked. She couldn't even bring herself to look at Jason because she knew if she did it would be over. She would start to fall in love with him and she just wasn't sure if she was ready for that yet. She knew that her reaction was the reason that Jason had suggested that they just forget it, but it still kinda hurt her feelings that he was so willing to pretend the whole thing never happened. That was the reason that she acted like such a bitch to him afterwards, she couldn't really help it. It was a defense mechanism. If she acted like she didn't care that he wouldn't have the chance to break her heart. In the end it boiled down to the simple fact that Sam was scared to death. Jason wasn't like any man that she had ever met, he was so much better in every way. Who was she kidding, she didn't have to look into those remarkable blue eyes to know that she was dangerously close to falling for the mouth-watering hit man.**

**The opening day of the bakery had gone off without a hitch. They had a lot of customers and everyone seemed to really like all treats. Sam had met a lot of the residents of Port Charles, most seemed like decent people but there were a few that she could do without. There was this one woman whose head seemed to be way to large for her body and she had this sugary sweet smile that Sam knew was completely phony. She had come in with two little boys that she didn't seem to pay any attention to. She was completely focused on the dark haired man that was sitting on a bench across from the window. The woman didn't notice when one of her children nearly pulled a table on top of himself, luckily Danny was in the right place and was able to stop the table from falling thus averting disaster. Sam was glad when they left. The kids were cute but the woman just rubbed her the wrong way. Sam had also met Spinelli and Maxie, she remembered them from the coffee shop. Maxie seemed like a really sweet girl, Sam did notice that she talked a lot which was saying something seeing how Sam had no problem keeping up both sides of a conversation if the situation presented itself. Danny took and instant liking to the young man named Spinelli, they talked about video games. Sam was impressed that the man didn't even seem to notice Danny's "problems". That alone made him a good guy in Sam's book.  
Half way through the day Sam noticed a familiar pair of blue eyes. She couldn't help but smile at him. And was pleased when he smiled back. She noticed that he was speaking to Spinelli and Danny outside, and she wondered if he was going to actually come in and talk to her.  
**

**Sam had found herself in the kitchen for the next few hours trying to keep up with the customers and she was curious if Jason was still around. It had been hours since she had seen him so the idea was actually absurd, why would he wait around for hours. Get a grip Mcall.  
**

"**You did good Sammy girl!" Ruthie told her as she locked the doors.  
**

"**We all did good. Can you believe that we did it? Oh, I am so proud of us!" Sam said and couldn't contain her excitement. And that was when she saw him. Jason was sitting on the bench across the street. Sam wasn't sure how it was possible but he looked even better than she remembered. Sam, Danny and Ruthie made their way to the kitchen to start cleaning up and get ready for tomorrow when Sam suddenly said "Hey, why don't you guys head home. I can finish up here."  
**

"**Are you sure Sam, I mean we are a team, we should stay" Danny said.  
**

"**We are a team, but you guys worked your butts off today and you deserve a break."  
**

"**And you didn't?" Ruthie asked. It was at that moment that she noticed Sam's attention seemed to be drawn toward something outside. She followed her gaze and figured out why Sam was trying to get rid of them. Sam had told Ruthie about the kiss last night. Ruthie didn't know much about this Morgan guy except what the papers said and the fact that her best friend was very into him. She had warned Sam to be careful and she knew that was all she could really do. Sam was an adult who made her own decisions. If Sam wanted to get involved with him she could stop her. She couldn't explain it but she just had a bad feeling about the whole situation. But all she could do was wish her the best and be there if and when it all fell apart. She really hoped that it would work out, because Sammy was a good person and she deserved to be happy.  
**

"**Okay, you know what Danny, if Sam's gonna let us off the hook I think we should take it before she changes her mind." And with that Ruthie and Danny exited the back of the bakery and headed home for the night.  
**

**Sam walked to the front of the bakery and stood looking out the front door. Jason got up from the bench and headed her way. Sam unlocked the door and headed toward the kitchen not waiting for Jason.  
**

**She was about to walk around the counter when she turned around, and Jason was right there. Man he was quiet, I guess that skill came in handy in his line of work.  
Jason was completely in her personal space. And when a man like Jason moved into your space, there wasn't any air left to breathe. She couldn't even see around him given that his shoulders were blocking her view.  
**

**Assuming that he was trying to get to the counter she tried to slide past him. He cut her off by moving right in front of her again. She stepped on his foot by accident and bounced her breast against his chest.  
**

"**Did you need something?" she said, a little irritated. Obviously, he had no idea what he did to her hormones or he would stay back a minimum of twelve feet. Obviously, she did not have the same effect on him, given that her breast just could collide with his chest and he didn't even blink.  
**

"**What?" she said when he still didn't answer her, just sort of rubbed his jaw and avoided meeting her eyes. "Jesus, what? Give me some room."  
**

**But he didn't back up. "Hey are you upset with me, Sam? You've been avoiding me since yesterday, since we …" Jason shrugged his shoulders and cleared his throat.  
**

"**Since we kissed? Sucked face? Swapped spit? Is that what you're referring to?" Upset was and understatement. She felt stupid. Like a big dumb idiot who had thrown herself into the strong, silent type's arms and trembled over his touch.  
Gag.  
**

**"Yes. Since we kissed. I already apologized … and I meant it. I really am sorry if I made you uncomfortable."  
She had no idea what he was talking about, and it was absolutely ridiculous that they were having this conversation.  
**

"**What supposedly made me uncomfortable?" And why couldn't he back up? She could smell him and it wasn't sweat. It was musky man, and lingering hint of soap. The urge to squeeze his pecs was starting to make her twitch.  
**

**His brow furrowed. "When I kissed you. Here you gave me this sweet little comforting kiss, and I came back at you with tongue. It was rude and tacky. I'm sorry."  
**

**Her every instinct screamed for her to deny her reactions. To just accept his apology and consider the whole embarrassing little episode closed. She did not want to give another man emotional ammunition to use against her.  
**

**But Jason was different. Just different. And she couldn't let him think he had mashed mouths with her for no reason. Even if he had turned the first kiss into something more, she had been just as responsible. She had given him signals, and she couldn't believe that somehow now he had it all twisted around that he had taken advantage of her.  
**

**She was no innocent maiden. "I wanted you to kiss me, Jason." Hello.  
**

"**You did?"  
**

"**Yes. That would explain why I was kissing you back, or didn't you notice?"  
**

**He scratched the side of his head and frowned. "Well, sure. I guess … yeah, I noticed. So you really wanted me to?"  
**

"**Yes, duh."  
**

"**So why did you pull away?"  
**

"**Because Danny was outside and I didn't want him running in and seeing us tugging each others clothes off."  
**

"**Oh." His eyes darkened. "Oh. Would we have been tugging each others clothes off?"  
**

**Given the husky tone of his voice, he knew the answer to that. Jason tossed his keys on the counter and took another step toward her. Which there was no room to do.  
**

"**Maybe. I might have considered it." She said. He kissed the side of her neck. Just like that, he was there, doing warm and sexy little things with his tongue. "Oh, yes, I was definitely considering it."  
**

**And move lower, lower, yes. Jason hit the swell of the top of her breast, peeking out of her top. He sucked her flesh into his mouth, and she bit her lip to keep from crying out.  
Then suddenly he jerked away and swore, while Sam stood there with a wet boob and a raging case of confusion.  
**

"**I can't believe this. I don't understand what you do to me. This is not what I came here for."  
**

"**Okay, what did you come here for?" Sam asked trying to keep her frustration in check.  
**

"**I wanted to ask you for a favor." He said as he put a good amount of distance between them. "I have a nephew whose birthday is tomorrow, and I completely forgot to get him a present. I don't want him to know that I forgot so I can't exactly ask him what he wants. I was hoping that you would help me pick something out for him."  
**

"**You want me to go shopping with you?" that was defiantly not where Sam saw here evening heading.  
**

"**Yeah. And maybe I could take you to dinner to say thank you." Jason said  
**

"**Then we have a deal." Sam stuck out her hand.  
Jason gripped it, his hand swallowing hers. "Deal, can you meet me out front in about and hour?"  
**

"**Absolutely."  
**

**Then they pumped up and down with their interlocked hands, and Sam struggled for nonchalance. His skin was rough, so masculine, so raw, so god damn big, and his thumb was moving in a way it shouldn't be moving for a regular, friendly little handshake. It was doing all sorts of interesting wayward strokes and tickles, and she was getting a little hot. God what would it feel like to be under a man like Jason Morgan,  
**

"**Sam …" he said, his voice husky and low.  
**

"**Yes?" Touch me, touch me, touch me.  
**

"**You'd better take those pants off."  
**

"**Excuse me?" Granted, she'd been thinking along those same lusty lines, but they were right here in her kitchen.  
**

"**Your covered in flour amongst other things, I just thought you might want to change." Jason gave a pointed look at her clothes.  
**

**Right. Of course. Uuggghh. Sam willed herself not to take off her spiky heel and ram it up Jason's nose. She was thinking of the tongue tango, and he was worried about her wardrobe.  
**

"**Right, okay then I will just meet you out front in about an hour." Sam turned and walked toward the front door and held it open for him. Jason turned and walked up to her place a sweet kiss on her lips.  
**

"**See you in an hour, and thanks." And with that he was gone. Sam walked toward the kitchen and opened the freezer and just stood there, it was the only thing she could think of to cool herself down. She wasn't sure how she was going to make it through an evening with Jason without ripping his clothes off. **

**Well at least it wouldn't be boring.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**On their way to the store Jason had told Sam all about his nephew. She now knew that they were looking for gifts for an 11 year old boy that went by the name of Morgan. Apparently he was named after Jason, which Sam thought was pretty sweet. When she asked him what kind of things he was into**

**Jason just shrugged and said, "I don't know, I guess the same thing as all 11 year old boys?" And too that Sam replied, "Well I have never been and 11 year old boy so, what kind of things did you like when you were a kid?"  
**

**That is when Jason explained all about how he had been in a car accident 10 years ago and had no memory of his childhood. He didn't go into great detail and Sam just figured that meant he really didn't want to talk about it.  
**

"**Well, consider yourself lucky! I have tried to forget my childhood for most my life, rather unsuccessfully I might add. I am actually kinda jealous." She said with a smirk.  
**

**Her comment caught Jason off guard. Normally when he told someone about his accident they went into pity mode. They would tell him how sorry they were, and go on and on about how awful that must have been. Sam was refreshingly different from most people he had met throughout his life, and the more time he spent with her the more she amazed him.**

**

* * *

**

**Two hours later, Sam had come to the conclusion that Jason Morgan had the unique ability to literally liposuction the fun right out of shopping. He had to be so damn practical. He had rolled his eyes at everything that Sam suggested. When she held up a pair of night vision goggles, Jason simple said "What does a kid need with night vision goggles?" and rolled his eyes. If he did that one more time, Sam swore that she was gonna knock them out of his head.  
**

"**Jason, aren't presents supposed to supply people with things that they don't really need. That's what makes them soo much fun." Sam was starting to get annoyed. Not that she wasn't enjoying her time with Jason, because despite his inability to agree with any of her choices, they were having a pretty decent conversation. Sam had told him all about Grace and how she taught her how to bake. And he told her about Sonny, Carly and the boys. They talked about Spinelli and Maxie, Ruthie and Danny.  
**

"**Just put them back, we'll find something else." Jason said as he shook his head. It was Sam's turn to roll her eyes, which she did as she slapped the item back down on the shelf, disgruntled. That was the fourth thing that Jason had vetoed. They made a left down the next isle and found themselves in the shoe department. Jason picked up a pair of combat black combat boots. Yup, Jason Morgan didn't know anything about cute. He had no idea how freaking cute he was himself. Sam shook her head and turned away from him to study the sneaker section. It was starting to get to her, how attracted to him she was. Here they were shopping for his nephew, which should be taking all of her concentration, and she was doing that nipple-tingle thing that she did when she was really in the mood.  
**

**Maybe it was his modesty that she found so intriguing. Or the way he never lost his cool. Steady as a rock. A very big, buff rock.  
**

**Tingle. There it was again. Damn.  
**

"**We're not getting him shoes" Sam declared as she they made their way into the electronic department.  
They were going down the isle that was lined with DVD.  
**

**Sam absentmindedly scanned the movie titles.  
**

"**Nobody puts Baby in a corner" Sam said  
**

"**What's that supposed to mean?" Jason asked confused  
**

"**Ah! You don't remember that from Dirty Dancing?" she looked astonished. "That's like a classic line."  
**

"**I never say it." He vaguely had the notion that it involved gay men, but he could be wrong about that.  
**

"**Someday I'll rent it, and we can watch it together. It's a perfect cheesball movie."  
**

**Jason just nodded but couldn't stop himself from smiling at her obvious excitement. They spent the next few minutes picking out some video games for Morgan, it was the only thing that they somewhat agreed on. Of course Jason didn't want to get any games that involved guns or killing people, which made Sam giggle. She finally convinced him to get one game that was less than educational.  
**

"**Well I supposed you could be right, Morgan will love these."  
Sam held her hand to her chest and staggered back manically. **

"**You admit that I'm right? Wow, this is a beautiful moment."  
**

**He grinned. "I'm a big enough man to admit when someone else is right. You're a smart woman, Sam under all that hair."  
Sam figured there was a compliment somewhere in there. **

"**Thanks. But you'd better hold back with the gushing, or I'll get an ego."  
**

"**I do believe you're being sarcastic with me." Jason pushed the cart, then climbed onto the back and rode with it down the isle, hunkered over the handle.  
**

"**I do believe I am, Mr. Morgan." Sam got out of the was as he sailed past, looking a little precarious perched on the metal rungs. He was a little large to be hanging on the cart like that. **

"**And be careful, you look like you're going to … "  
**

**Jason lost control and hit the wall of contact lens solution.  
**

"**Crash." Sam looked at the woman next to her who made a little sound of distress. "Boys." Sam said in exaggerated disgust. **

"**Always fooling around."  
**

**Though he looked like a wall of bricks could fall on him and he wouldn't get a scratch, Sam still asked, "Are you okay?"  
**

"**Fine." He pulled the cart back and picked up the one container that had fallen. He turned to the woman, his face a mask of faux contrition. "I guess I shouldn't have been doing that."  
**

**She shook her head, but she had a shy smile on her face.  
Sam went around the front of the cart and climbed onto the bottom rungs facing out. She gripped the basket of the cart and leaned back for stability. "This way is probably safer. Someone to steer and someone to hold on."  
**

**It was murder on her spine, but it had the potential to be amusing. And she thought they both needed a laugh. Jason had been laughing a lot this evening but ever now and then she would notice that he would get really quiet. And she decided that no one should have that much heaviness on their heart. Especially now since he had someone like Sam in his life. But as Sam knew only too well, you couldn't just shake the past off that easily, and you couldn't fix the scars it left on you. And she thought that Jason must have a lot of scars.  
**

"**Where to?" Jason pulled the cart back and made adjustments to the wheel position.  
**

"**If you don't mind, I need to get some shampoo and bubble bath. Then back to the toys." Sam said as she peeked back over her shoulder.  
**

**One big push from Jason and they were flying down the aisle, cool air rushing past Sam's face and sending her hair pack off her shoulders. It was a straight shot past the toothbrushes, and there was enough speed to make her feel an excited little rush of dizziness. "Turn left!"  
**

**They careened into the center aisle on two wheels, slapping the inch back onto the ground with a metallic squeak. "Faster," Sam demanded, catching glimpse of pleasure on Jason's face.  
**

"**Let me grab the shampoo." It was on the end of the aisle coming up at 3 o'clock, and Sam stretched out her hand.  
But Jason had followed her directive, and they were going NASCAR speed. Her knuckle rapped a shampoo bottle, but she couldn't get a grip. The strawberry scented shampoo bottle went flying in the direction of the first-aid products and clipped a man in the back of the leg.  
**

"**Oops. Sorry."  
**

**Jason put on the brakes, using those massive arms to drag the cart to a stop. Much faster that Sam could have ever predicted. She went flying off the end, losing a stiletto and crashing into the display shelf, bottles tumbling down around her. She covered her head and looked up when the falling items stopped. That had been kind of fun sailing through the air.  
**

"**Cool, I've got the bubble bath." She grabbed a bottle and hopped toward the cart. "Where's my shoe?"  
**

**The man she'd nailed with the shampoo was holding it out towards her.  
**

"**Thanks." She took it and slipped it on her foot, bouncing up and down to adjust it as she tried not to grimace. She really wished that he hadn't actually touched it. While he looked like a perfectly normal middle-age man with male pattern baldness and a growing gut, she didn't want his thick fingers in her shoe. She had a thing about feet. If a man was going to be touching hers, that wasn't all he was going to be touching. She didn't take feet lightly.  
**

"**You two need to calm down and use these carts correctly. This is a family store. We can't have you running around and crashing into things. Someone could get hurt."  
Sam focused on the little nametag pinned to his shirt.  
**

"**Sorry, Jeffery. It was and accident."  
Jeffery didn't look appeased. He gave her a stern finger shake.  
**

"**Do it again, and we'll have to ask you to leave.  
**

**Was he serious? "I can get kicked out of your store for exceeding the cart speed limit?"  
**

**Jason cleared his throat. "Uh, Sam, let's just finish our shopping."  
**

"**Absoluty, we can escort you to the exit. We want our shoppers to feel safe here." The look that he threw Jason didn't go unnoticed by Sam.  
**

**Her shirt had ridden up to her breasts, and Sam yanked it back down toward her belly button. "Alright, sorry. We'll just be on our way."  
**

**Sam turned around and shot Jason a look "Back up." She hissed.  
**

**Jason whipped the cart out of the aisle and they walked off at what they deemed a safe speed.  
**

"**Well, life lesson here."  
**

"**What's that?" Jason didn't look annoyed with her, in fact he was struggling not to grin.  
**

"**Don't ride the carts in here, of course. I think that your criminal tendencies are starting to rub off on me Morgan." She tossed her hair back.  
**

"**My criminal tendencies? I have beat every charged I have ever faced, even murder." He said that last part so quietly that only Sam could hear him. "But one evening with you and I'm about to be thrown in jail for abusing shopping cart rules at the local department store."  
**

**They both laughed as the made their way towards the toys.  
Jason had started to ease up on his practicality and was allowing Sam to throw things in the cart for Morgan. Their conversation picked back up and somehow they started talking about Sam's childhood. Jason asked her about her birthdays and Sam blew past the question throwing out some sarcastic remark. It was a typically Sam answer. The kind that would make most people laugh.  
**

**But Jason tilted his head and stared at her, his eyes too knowing, too probing. Like he could see the lie. Like he understood. They reached the end of the aisle, and she didn't wait to hear what he might have to say. Whatever, it was, she was sure she didn't want to hear it, and she didn't want him to look to closely at her. He might be shocked at what he found.  
They found themselves in and aisle that was almost solid pink. Defiantly nothing here for Morgan. But Sam had picked up a little girls Hello Kitty umbrella, opened it and started twirling it on her should. She looked back at Jason who had an amused expression on his face.  
**

"**Hey, you think this is Bakery Barbie? She looks just like you." Jason grinned as she turned around.  
**

"**Here, let me see her," Sam said holding out her hand.  
Jason gave her the box.  
She whacked him in the arm with it. "Watch your tongue. Her boobs are fake. Mine aren't"  
**

**Jason laughed, trying to ignore the jolt that the mention of her boobs sent straight to his dick. "Honey, you are one of a kind, that's for sure. Just plain original."  
**

**Growing up as a child Sam never had any toys. Her father gave her decks of cards to perfect her hands at Three Card Monte. He would read her racing forms at night, not fairy tales.  
**

"**You know, I never had a Barbie doll when I was a kid. I always wanted one." Sam said with a far off look in her eyes. "If you ever tell anyone that, I'll deny it. And then kill you." She smiled  
As she turned around she heard Jason throw something in the cart. She looked back and noticed the Barbie doll. She looked up at him with a puzzled expression.  
**

"**It would give me a great deal of pleasure to buy you your first Barbie."  
**

"**Why?" Sam asked in suspicion. She wasn't flirting with him. Not much anyway. And he wasn't hinting that he could think of ways she could pleasure him in return. That was the way it usually went. Men spent money: men wanted something - sex, power. They always wanted something.  
**

**He shrugged, studying her a little too carefully. "I just want to, that's all. Do I have to have a reason to want to want to buy you a Barbie?"  
**

**If she were any judge of character, which was questionable considering her past, Jason had no ulterior motive. He was just being nice.  
**

**Jason Morgan didn't fit into her understanding on men. He was an anomaly. A big one. In boots and a leather jacket.  
**

"**You don't have to do that, Jason. It's a waste of money to buy me a doll."  
**

"**Which would you rather have, the umbrella or the Barbie? Because I'm buying one or the other." Jason leaned on the handle of the cart, his dark blue t-shirt pulling forward at the neck. "Think of it as a gift for being my personal shopper."  
**

"**But YOU don't need a personal shopper" she whispered, feeling raw and vulnerable in a way that she just detested. **

"**You can dress yourself."  
**

**He nodded, slow and sure. "And undress myself." He grabbed the Barbie box she had returned to the shelf and added it to the cart.  
**

"**I don't know what to say." He was making her extremely uncomfortable.  
**

"**Seems to me you ought to just say thank you and be down with it." He cocked a grin and winked.  
**

"**Smart ass." She mouthed so the other shoppers didn't hear her. But when he laughed, she said, "Thank you."  
And popped her umbrella open and strolled up the aisle.  
She had to admit that the small gesture of Jason buying her a Barbie doll made her smile. And it made her think that maybe there was such a thing as hope buried deep inside her, hidden under the layers of disappointment and the calluses around her heart.**

**Despite nearly getting tossed out of the store on their ear, Jason could admit he was glad that Sam had gone shopping with him. At least she filled the silence and gave him someone to bounce his thoughts off of. He wasn't used to having to make decisions about someone else, and it was reassuring to have Sam to back him up. Or more like disagree with him, which allowed him to arguer why his choice made more sense. Not that sense mattered, because they always seemed to go with Sam's choice. He couldn't help it, he liked the way her face lit up whenever he conceded and she won the argument. She even managed to get those damn night vision goggles back into the cart, she used the reasoning that maybe Jason himself could use them for "work" and then could use them as a tax write off. Jason was too stunned to form a coherent thought, so he just let it go.  
**

**On their way home, they had decided that tonight wasn't the best night for dinner because Sam still had to get back to the bakery and finish up some things, and it was getting late. They hadn't planned on shopping for as long as they did.  
They pulled up to the bakery and Sam got out of the car, and walked to the door. Jason followed closely behind. Her hair shone in the moonlight. The lights in the bakery were all off, but the night was light enough that he could see the smile that played around her lops as she started at him over her bare shoulder.  
**

"**Thanks again, for the Barbie. You know, Jason Morgan, you really are a nice guy." She whispered. "Not many people would feel sorry for the poor little con woman that never had a doll growing up."  
**

**Jason just shook his head. The last thing in the world he felt for her was pity. He felt a deep, gut wrenching, ball busting attraction to her that had him antsy during the day and downright agonized at night.  
**

"**What I'm feeling for you isn't pity."  
**

**Her mouth slid open, her tongue moistening that plump bottom lip. **

"**Go home, Jason, before I say something that embarrasses me tomorrow."  
**

**He brushed his fingers over her lip because he couldn't help himself. "Friends don't need to be embarrassed around each other, ever."  
**

"**Is that what we are Jason? Friends?" she asked not looking him in the eyes.  
**

**He took her chin and raised it so he could look into her eyes. "For now."  
**

**Then he lowered his mouth to hers. This kiss was nothing like the one they shared in her kitchen. This was sweet but building. Almost as if they were getting to know each other. Jason knew that he needed to stop now other wise things were going to get away from him and he didn't want to rush whatever was going on between them.  
**

**He pulled away and gently ran his fingers across her cheek. He smiled when he noticed that she still hadn't opened her eyes. It pleased him to know that he had that kind of effect on her.  
**

"**Good night Sam"  
**

"**Good night." She said as she walked inside. She knew that she should keep her eyes in front of her and not look back. Because if he was still standing there she wouldn't be able to stop herself from running back into his arms, and finishing that kiss. Hell, who was she to do the smart thing. She turned around and he was walking back to his car. She threw open the door and yelled, "JASON!"  
**

**He turned around with a worried expression on his face. The looked quickly vanished when he saw the sultry look Sam was wearing. She ran as fast she could toward him. She jumped and he caught her, his hand going to her ass, her legs wrapped around his waist. Their mouths slammed into each other demanding entrance. As soon as her tongue met his she was in heaven. The both fought for control of the kiss, it was finally won by Jason and Sam felt her desire pooling below her waist. And just as quickly as the kiss began it ended. Both of them knew that it was probably better that way, otherwise he would have taken her on the hood of his car, and there was no doubt in her mind that she would have let him. She untangled her legs from around his waist and he gently put her back on the ground.  
**

"**I should be done here tomorrow about 6:30p, so I expect you at my place by 7:30. You still owe me dinner." Sam said a little bit breathless still from that kiss.  
**

"**Yes ma'm."  
**

**With that she turned and skipped back inside and out of his sight. As he turned back to his car he knew that he was defiantly falling for her, like he had never fallen before.  
He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't notice the figure lurking in the shadows.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Jason had always liked the end of the day. It was a quiet satisfaction that stole over him as the sun disappeared and the moon trotted out, when his muscles ached from work, and his thoughts slowed down.**

**He stood in front of his balcony doors on most nights, nursing a beer and looking out at the city lights, trying to reassure himself that everything was alright.  
**

**On this particular night his thoughts kept drifting to Sam. He didn't know exactly what was going on with them. And face it, Jason Morgan and relationships never seemed to get along. They always ended the same way. He was worried that things with Sam were destined to be the same, but he also knew that she was different from all of the other woman he had been with. So he decided that he wouldn't over think things. He would handle things with Sam the way he handled everything else in his life, as they came. When he had problems he usually dug in and stuck it out, thinking it through, taking things nice and slow until they either worked themselves out, he worked them out, or he discovered they hadn't needed working out in the first place.  
Things with Sam were going to work out. He just had to take it slow.  
**

"**Hey Jason."  
**

**He waved his beer in salute to his best friend as she came through the door without knocking. "Hey Carly, how are you?"  
**

"**Fine." She said as she leaned against the pool table that took up most Jason's dining room.  
**

**He knew that Carly never just stopped by to say hi, but he wasn't in any hurry to jump into whatever drama she had so he just waited for her to bring it up.  
**

"**So, I heard you have been hanging around with that woman who opened the new bakery?" and there it was. Although Carly often told him that he should get out there and date, and even tried to set him up with woman she deemed 'good enough' for him, she never really liked it when Jason had a woman around. Courtney was the only exception and that was only because the two of them were best friends.  
**

**Jason knew it was only a matter of time before Carly had heard that he had been spending time with some woman, or Sam, and he liked to call her. He had known that his best friend wouldn't like it.  
**

"**Have you lost your mind Jason, you don't know anything about her."  
**

"**Nope don't believe that I have. I have been having a pretty good time though." He replied walking toward the kitchen to throw away his beer bottle.  
**

"**She's just trying to get her claws into, mark my words."  
That annoyed Jason, like Sam Mcall gave a damn about his money. If she wanted to sink her claws into a man, it wouldn't be a mobster like him. She probably had rich men panting behind her all the time, begging her to let them buy her the world, and they weren't accompanied by gun fire.  
**

"**Well I don't think that you should be having sex with a woman you don't know."  
**

**That was it. "Good night Carly. You've said enough, I think. And not that it is any of your business, but I am not having sex with Sam Mcall." At least not yet he added to himself.  
**

"**It is my business, if you're getting mixed up with some slut."  
He rubbed his hands over his face. Slut was pushing it too far. **

"**Good night, Carly. I meant it.  
**

**Carly huffed, but she stepped toward the door. "I see how your bread is buttered. Just like Sonny … never listens to me."  
Jason shook his head, wondering why he even bothered, with Carly it was nothing but drama. She was angry with him, but hey, he was a little miffed with her. She'd crossed the line, yet he knew tomorrow they would be fine. She wouldn't apologize but he wouldn't be expecting her too.  
**

"**Good night. I love you, Carly."  
**

"**Good night, Jason Morgan, I love you too and please don't forget the condoms."  
**

**Oh lord! "I won't Carly, cross my heart and hope to die."  
**

"**Smart-ass!" she muttered as she walked towards the door.  
**

**In relief he heard the door closed behind him. The only draw back to living across the hall from his best friend. Easy access. Normally that didn't bother him – in fact, he liked it, since most of the time he enjoyed the company and it gave him a sense of family.  
**

**But he didn't like discussing his sex life with her. Especially since she seemed to think he was a swinging single, and the truth of it was until he met Sam he was practically a monk. No one had buttered his bread in a long time.  
**

**Even when he had been doing it regular basis, he suspected he wasn't all that good at it, which was damn hard to swallow. Courtney had never seemed all that interested in sex with him, no matter how sweet and coaxing and patient he had to be. Finally, he told himself that she just wasn't as hormonally charged as he was. A lot of women didn't get into sex as much as guys did. At least that was what Sonny told him, but he also knew that was a very uncomfortable discussion for both of them since it was Sonny's sister they were taking about.  
**

**Yet know Courtney was married to Jax, and she seemed mightily interested in sex. Jason had been privy to some sights he could have done without, including Courtney doing a sultry little grind across Jax's jock when she thought that no one looking. Jason was absolutely certain that Courtney had never mimicked sex with him in public at any time during their marriage,  
**

**Which must mean he sucked at sex.  
**

**Not an ego boost, that was for sure.  
**

**He didn't like where his thoughts had taken him. Now he was worried about being with Sam. Nothing could possibly be more humiliating than not measuring up, both literally and figuratively.  
**

**And on that note, Jason decided that it was time to go to bed. There was no use in worried about something that he couldn't change. Plus if the way she ran into to him earlier that night was any indication of how she felt about being in his arms, maybe he didn't have as much to worry about as he thought.**

* * *

**Sam was pulled out of sleep with the annoying sound of her alarm clock. It was still dark outside. On most mornings she had to drag herself through the morning routine of showering and getting dressed but today she found it a little easier. Maybe because she was so excited about her dinner with Jason tonight. She barely got any sleep, between her memories of how amazing his lips felt against hers, and the erotic dreams that seem to pick up where their kiss left off. She was surprised she even made it to the bakery on time.  
**

**She let herself into the back door of the store and went about her morning routine. Turning on ovens and pulling things out of the fridge. It would still be another hour or so before Ruthie and Danny arrived, and she actually liked the quiet the morning brought. It gave her time to actually think.  
**

**She made her way into the front of the bakery, and she was stopped dead in her tracks.  
**

**The front window had been broken with a brick. The glass display cases were shattered and the cash register was busted open. The tables and chairs were turned over and the walls were covered with spray paint. Meaningless pictures and words.  
**

"**Why?" was the only thing that she could think. Why, because this is how your life works, Sam. Just when you think you finally got your feet on the ground, god seems to just pull the rug right out from under you.**

**An hour later, Sam stood next to her brother and best friend while she talked to the police. They were taking pictures for insurance and telling her that it was most likely just some bored teenagers that caused all this destruction. She wasn't sure which was worse, the mess that was all around her or the look on Danny's face. It broke her heart. He was completely devastated and tried to convince her to let him stay in town and help her clean everything up. That was the other thing. She had completely forgotten that she was supposed to drop Danny off at school in NY today. So much for her dinner plans with Jason.  
**

**She walked to back into the kitchen and dug her phone out of her purse and dialed Jason, his voicemail picked up.  
**

"**Hey Jason, its Sam. Look I am really sorry but I can't make dinner tonight. I kind of ran into a few problems at the bakery and I forgot that I have to drop Danny off at school in NY today. I promise that I will make it up to you. I'll call you later. Or you can call me, or not whatever. Okay, bye" god she was rambling like an idiot. Oh well, just chalk it up to a shitty day! How did things go from good to bad so quickly?  
**

**Knowing that she did not have the convince of feeling sorry for herself she heading toward the storage closet determined to fix what some assholes broke.**

**It only took a few hours but they got the windows boarded up and all the glass cleaned up. Tables and chairs were righted and all the broken objects had made their way to the dumpster out back. The window people were scheduled to come out in two days, which only left painting of the walls. And Sam insisted that she could do it herself. This place was her dream and she wanted to be the one to fix it.  
**

**Plus they were now on their way to NY to drop Danny off, and since the bakery obviously wouldn't be open for the next few days Sam insisted that Ruthie spend the weekend with the sister she hardly ever got to see. Ruthie wanted to argue that Sam shouldn't be alone, but she saw the look that Sam had and knew that no argument was going to change her mind.**

**Now on her way back to Port Charles, she checked her voicemail, there were two messages. The first was from Jason.  
**

"**Sam, hey. I went by the bakery. I am really sorry. If you need anything please call me. I mean it, anything at all. Call me when you get back to town. I miss you. Bye" Sam smiled for the first time since she walked into the bakery that morning.  
**

**The second message was from Danny, he must have left it right after they dropped him off. To say it was an emotional ordeal would be an understatement. It was the first time in years that Sam and Danny would be apart for more that a few days. Sam knew that she had to be strong for Danny so she held back the tears that she wanted to shed as she watched him walk away. She knew that Danny being at this school was good for him, which was the only reason that she was going along with the separation. She would do anything for him, even let him experience the world away from her. She promised she would see him in a couple of weeks when she came up for a visit and that seemed to help ease some of his fears.  
**

**She listened to the message.  
**

"**Hey Sammy, I just wanted to tell you that you are the best sister in the world. I know that you are sad even if you're trying to be tough for me. Don't worry little sis, I love you know matter how far away you are. See you soon. And don't eat all the cookies yourself. Bye"  
**

**Sam smiled even though she had tears running down her cheeks.  
**

**Sam had made a lot of mistakes in her life, bad choices, and stupid decisions yet somehow she had two of the best men in the world looking out for her. For the first time in her life she felt like despite the fact that things weren't looking that great, she was going to be just fine.**

* * *

**Sam sat crossed legged on the floor in the middle of her bakery. She had been there for a few hours. Just sitting and thinking. The longer she sat there the more everything caught up with her.  
**

**She stood up, her eyes blurring with tears, her breath coming in anguished little gasps. She didn't like crying especially for herself but she couldn't help it. She just didn't understand why everything always had to be so hard. Was it like this for everyone, or was she just the unluckiest person in the world?  
Swiping her eyes, she turned right as he came in from the kitchen.  
**

**And she burst into the tears she'd been trying to hold back.**

**It took Jason a full ten seconds to figure out what he was looking at.  
**

**Sam was standing there, crying, and something about her appearance was off, different, though he couldn't place it. He crossed the room to her, looking frantically up and down for an injury that would cause tears. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"  
**

**For some reason he knew that Sam wasn't the kind of big emotional displays, so he was a little panicked. "Is it Danny?"  
**

**She sniffled, reaching up to wipe her eyes, mouth trembling, a little. "No, he's fine, he's in NY."  
**

**Relief coursed though him. "Well, what's wrong." He figured it was just the events of the day catching up with her, but he didn't want to assume anything. He reached out and rubbed her arms below the shoulder, studying her face.  
**

**There was something about her, besides the tears …  
**

**He blinked, and noticed that the hardness that normally surrounded her was gone. The night that he had carried her home after she had passed out he saw it, but this was different because she was awake. Although he knew she was hurting, Sam looked utterly breathtaking.  
**

**And then it was gone. The vulnerability that he had seen was gone and she was back to being the toughest girl on the block.  
**

"**I'm fine. I just needed to cry for a minute. How did you get in here by the way." She changed the subject not wanting to discuss the fact that she was just crying like a baby in front of him. He didn't need to know that she had never cried in front of anyone before. She didn't want him to have that kind of leverage over her, even though she knew that he would never use her pain against her.  
**

**Jason picked up on the fact that she didn't want to talk about her emotional break down anymore.  
**

"**Uh, you left the back door unlocked." He said. "So what did the police say?" he figured she would be more comfortable talking about the physical damage as opposed to the emotional.  
**

"**They think that it was most likely some bored kids. Guess I just got lucky."  
**

"**You think they're right?" he wondered.  
**

"**What else could it have been? They're may be people out there who aren't big Sam Mcall fans, but I don't think any of them live in Port Charles." She admitted.  
**

**Jason felt a wave come over him. If Carly knew that he had been spending time with Sam then maybe what happened to her bakery had something to do with him. One of his enemies sending a message though her.  
**

"**Jason, I don't think this has anything to do with you. The cops are right, it was just kids being bored." She noticed the way his body stiffened and knew that he was starting to wonder if he was somehow to blame for this.  
**

**He cocked his head to the side wondering how she was able to know exactly what he was thinking.  
**

"**You know, most people say that I'm not easy to read."  
**

"**Yeah, well I am not most people." She said with a smile.  
**

**He pulled her to his chest and was surprised at how well she fit in his arms. He felt her arms snake around his waist, and he hoped that she could find strength there in his arms.  
**

"**So you still want to buy me dinner" she mumbled into his chest.  
**

**He chuckled "I can't think of anything that would make me happier."**

**Sam and Jason sat on the floor of the bakery eating pizza and drinking beer. Jason tried to get her to go to some fancy restaurant but she convinced him that she wasn't really that kind of girl. Jason was shocked as she finished her fourth piece of pizza and downed her third beer.  
**

**He looked her up and down and wondered where she put it all. In the years that he was married to Courtney the only thing he had ever seen her eat was salad. The way that Sam just seemed to be okay with who she was, was just one more way that she was different than most woman.  
**

**They talked a lot. Well Sam did most of the talking, he would simply answer the endless number of questions that she had. He normally didn't enjoying spending time with people who like to talk. Maxie drove him absolutely insane, and he could only handle Carly in small doses, but he found he liked when Sam spoke. There was a comfort in her voice that he had never experienced before.  
**

"**Why did you and Courtney get divorced?" Sam asked.  
**

**Jason shifted slightly. He didn't really like sitting on the floor. It hurt his ass and his back.  
**

**Sam didn't seem to mind. She was curled up, knees under her chin.  
**

"**I know it's none of my business, but I'm sorry. I'm nosy. I want to know."  
**

**There were no easy answers to hard questions. It couldn't all be boiled down tidily into something like infidelity or money troubles, or alcoholism. "We got married for the wrong reasons. Sometimes things don't work out." He said as he took a swallow of his beer.  
**

"**That's it? That's all you're going to tell me?"  
**

"**It's complicated. I loved Courtney and I always will. We've got history. But that doesn't mean that we should have been married."  
**

**Though he'd been happy enough. It wasn't any wild love affair or anything, but they hadn't argued. They'd respected each other. But after Courtney's miscarriage and a few months of growing apart, they had looked at each other and sent that they were friends, not lovers. Nothing more than that.  
**

"**She was pregnant, wasn't she?"  
**

**He just nodded, staring at the bottle in his hand. It was on the tip of his tongue to as Sam why she cared when she spoke again.  
**

"**Does it bother you that she's with, what his name? Jax? That she might someday have his child?"  
**

"**Nope. I'd be happy for her." And he would. He wanted Courtney to have that joy. He wanted the wrong that had been done to her to be righted.  
**

"**You're something else, you know that?" Sam shook her head, looking confused. "I don't understand how she could have left you … she did leave you, didn't she? You wouldn't have left her."  
**

"**True enough."  
**

"**And you won't say anything bad about her – you won't tell me what happen between you."  
**

**He looked over at her. She looked upset, her narrow chin digging into the flesh on the back of her hand. "There are some things that should stay between a man and his wife whether we're still married or not. I respect Courtney too much to gossip about her." Which was true, but he also didn't want to go into the fact that Courtney had left him because she couldn't handle the violence that seem to follow him around. He was enjoying the time he had with Sam and he was scared that if he brought it up she would run.  
**

**Her held tilted toward him, her full pouty lips being pushed out by her hand. "You're a good man, Jason Morgan. Why couldn't I have met you years ago?"  
**

**He shrugged. "Because then I wouldn't have been the same man. I'd be someone else."  
**

**She laughed. "God, you're so reasonable. I love that. You make so much sense all the time and always look like you're puzzled that it's not so obvious to everyone else."  
**

"**Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" It sounded kind of dull to him. Which was strange because dull was not something most people would associate with him.  
**

**But she sighed. "You have no idea what a good thing it is."  
**

**He didn't understand the look she wore now, the one that stole over her narrow features when she thought that no one was looking. "Tell me about your father, Sam, your childhood. What was it like?"  
**

"**I could give you the standard version, but I'm not up for it tonight." She pulled her plump lip into her mouth, let her teeth slid over and back away from it, streaking the tender flesh with angry red splotches. "The truth is, it was lonely. Growing up with a con man is pretty much just like it sounds. My father never really wanted me, just used me to make money. We never stayed in one place too long, just long enough for me to get comfortable, then someone my dad hustled would catch up to us and we would have to move again. Every placed we stayed was different but end with the same results. Never really had any friends and couldn't really even trust my dad, because given the chance he would rob me just like everyone else."  
**

"**That doesn't sound like any sort of life for a kid" Jason didn't remember his childhood, but even after he cut off all ties with his parents he still knew that they loved him and would always be there when the cards were down.  
**

"**Yeah, well Cody took off for good when I was 16. And a few months later I found Danny. My whole focus in life shifted. I spent my whole life watching my back and for the first time I had someone else to look out for. I wanted to show Danny how much he meant to me, and make sure he knew that no matter what I would always be there for him. It was hard though because I didn't know how. No one ever showed me.  
**

"**I think you're doing just fine on your own."  
**

"**They didn't want me. They didn't love me." Her voice was a painful whisper punctuated by a sob at the end. "I can't believe I even care. I shouldn't. I don't. But I do."  
**

**It made him angry that there were people in this world that didn't see all the wonderful things he saw in Sam. "Which only goes to show you that you're better than both of them, Sam? You have a bigger and better heart than they ever could, and I feel privileged to know you."  
**

**She gave him a water smile. "You're just saying that so I won't start crying like a baby and embarrass you."  
**

"**I may not be great with all this emotional stuff, but I'm honest. I mean it." And he was starting to think that he was falling in love with her.  
**

**Sam was grateful when his cell phone rang, and broke the silence. She wasn't used to being so open about her life. She felt raw and although she knew that Jason wouldn't hurt her it was still a feeling she wasn't quiet comfortable with.  
**

"**Uh, that was work, I have to go." he looked and her and knew that she just opened up to him more that she was really comfortable with and he didn't want to leave her, but he also knew that if he offered to stay she would think it was because he felt sorry for her.  
**

**She saw his apprehension and knew he didn't really want to leave her. "It's fine, go. I'll talk to you later."  
**

**They rose off the ground and she walked him out. He held her for a minute and gave her a lingering kiss on the top of her head. He knew she was still a little shaken from the conversation and he didn't want to push her with too much physical contact.  
**

"**Be careful out there."  
**

"**Always, do you have plans tomorrow?"  
**

"**I will probably be here all day, I have to paint."  
**

"**You want some help?" he offered.  
**

"**Sure." She liked the fact that he wanted to help her.  
**

**He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her lips, it was a comfortable kiss. Like they had been doing it for years.  
**

**She liked it.  
**

**She liked every inch of Jason, from top to bottom, inside and out. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Painting was a lot harder that it looked. The project that last night she had so confidently embarked upon now**

**seemed like a dissertation on Sam Mcall's ignorance.  
**

**Pour, roll, paint. What could be so hard about that?  
**

**Everything, apparently. The problem with paint was that it got goddamn everywhere. The floor, the wood work, the ceiling, her arms, and her Betty and Veronica T-shirt. Oh, yeah, and the wall when she got lucky.  
**

**But then it didn't even coat evenly. The walls were so covered in paint that the white went over it in streaky little uneven patches, and she could see the roller marks. And hello, a roller loaded with pain was really freaking heavy. Her shoulder was killing her.  
**

**Last nigh Jason had offered to help, but she hadn't heard from him at all today. She was a little worried, but knew that he had been taking care of himself since long before she came along. She just wished he was here to help her.  
**

**Sam realized that she should probably give up the fight, fling the roller out the window and watch the Philly's game that was on TV.  
**

**But she refused to do that. She could not fail. Painting this place had become some kind of metaphor for her life and she was going to succeed, damn it. Even if it killed her or ruined her clothes.  
**

**Setting the roller back down in the pan, she stood back and surveyed the room. One wall down, three to go. For the first coat. Clearly after it dried, she was going to have to do it again.  
**

**Whoopee.  
**

"**This is for Grace. You promised you would make her proud." She reminded herself as she scratched her nose with the side of her arm.  
**

**Her cell phone rang, and she went to the counter and picked it up, grateful for the distraction.  
**

"**Hello?"  
**

"**Hey Sam, its Jason."  
**

"**Hi." She tried not to sound as happy as she was.  
**

"**I just wanted to let you know that I didn't forget about you. I was going to swing by there in about 20 minutes, if you still want my help that is."  
**

"**Yes, yes. I am in desperate need for reinforcements." She pleaded.  
**

"**Okay, do you need me to bring anything?" he asked  
**

"**Nope, just your pretty face is all I need."  
**

**He laughed out loud. "I'll see you soon."  
**

"**Bye handsome." Sam set down her phone and reached for the roller.  
**

**Then she spotted her pants.  
**

"**Shit! Damn!" She had a big paint blob on her pants. With a rag that was already speckled with white, she scrubbed the spit off and threw the towel down on some newspaper. **

**"That's it."  
**

**The pants had to go. She could not afford to be replacing her clothes every other day. She stripped them off and threw them behind the counter. Her bra and panties were white as was her t-shirt, so even if she did slather paint all over them, you wouldn't be able to see it.  
**

**Not that there were a lot of people that saw her panties anyway.  
**

**The t-shirt followed soon after the pants. The windows were all boarded up so no one could see inside, and even if they could what she was wearing wasn't that different from a bathing suit.  
**

**She'd just put her clothes back on before Jason got there. No problemo. Neither one of them needed any further temptations. Jason was dangerous. He made her feel things she couldn't afford to feel if she wanted to retain some kind of dignity.  
**

**He made her want things she couldn't have.  
**

**He made her daydream that she could be a wife and a mother, and that she could be good at it.  
**

**He made her think that she could have it all, and that was oh, so dangerous.  
**

**Sam bent over to pick up the roller.  
**

"**Holy shit … "Jason's strangled voice filled the room. "What the hell are you doing?"  
**

**She jerked upright, splattering paint from the roller on the newspaper she had spread out. And on her leg. "Ummmm, I'm painting." Damn, her panties had nudged up into her rear, she could feel them. Trying for nonchalance, she turned around and gave Jason a brilliant smile.  
**

"**In your underwear?" he asked in outrage, his voice unnaturally high.  
**

**His cheeks were red, and his fists clenched tight. And he had an erection. Not that she'd looked for it or anything. But it kind of jumped out at her.  
**

"**Well, I didn't want to ruin my clothes with paint splatters."  
**

"**But you're willing to sacrifice your underwear?"  
**

"**They're white." And cotton. Plain Jane and practical underwear, so it wasn't a big deal. Too bad she suddenly felt naked. "If I drop paint on them, it won't matter because it's white, too."  
**

**He rubbed his jaw, his eyes locked on her face like he was afraid to look down. "Beautiful. Paint doesn't wash off. It just dries on your clothes."**

**"Duh. That's the whole point." And her arm was getting tired, so she turned toward the wall and started going up and down.  
**

"**But sweetie, when it dries, it gets hard. Little hard, unbendable patches of paint are not going to be comfortable on your bra."  
**

"**Oh." Cool white droplets rained over her arm as she rolled and contemplated a crusty bra. "Well, it seemed like a good idea in theory."  
**

**He didn't say anything, and she was hoping he wouldn't. Just keep it closed, Morgan. She already felt like an idiot, and she was also feeling a little flushed. Not from the heat of the small room, but from that budge in his jeans.  
**

**A big masculine hand clamped around her wrist. She was so startled she almost dropped the roller. "Why are you on top of me? You keep doing that, and I have to tell you it's getting old.  
**

**Jason didn't move away. Oh, no. That's not what he did. He yanked the roller out of her hand and let it hit the newspaper with a crisp thwack. Then he took her arms and very gently turned her around.  
**

**Problem. He was a hairbreadth away from her. Conjoined twins had more space between them.  
**

"**This isn't on top of you," he said, his voice husky and tight. **

"**But tonight I can show you on top of you."  
**

**Well  
**

"**I'm going to give you a quick Painting 101 lesson. Then we will get this finished a lot faster. Cause tonight you are mine."  
**

**Before she could think, answer, beg, he moved his hands to the small of her back, leaned forward, and kissed her.  
**

**Disco music exploded in her head. Boogie nights, baby. Jason was gentle and urgent, considerate and aggressive. He was taking her mouth, working it over, licking and sliding and sucking his way deeper and deeper inside her while she gripped the belt loops of his jeans and clung.  
**

**He pulled back, leaving her lips wet and lonely. "If you don't want this, you should tell me now Sam."  
**

**She sucked in a breath, trying to reassure herself that her lungs knew what they were doing and she wasn't suffocating, no matter that it felt like she was.  
**

**How could he ask her that? Why did he expect her to be the rational one? The one to remember that they had met less than a month ago. She was in her freaking underwear, and his erection was jamming her in the belly.  
**

**There was no remembering her own name right now, let alone why it wasn't a good idea to incredible sex and love happily ever after until the next morning.  
**

**The wet collision had her panting and burning and extremely aware that the crotch of her panties were being compromised. She was damp with arousal and shocked at how easily that had happened. It wasn't like she normally needed a tube of KY Jelly or anything, but it took more than a kiss.  
**

**Usually.  
**

**Not the case today.  
**

**But he felt so good, so hard, so real, so caring and his callused hands had left her bare back and were playing with the waistband of her panties. Flip down, roll up, flip down, roll up, until she wanted to scream.  
**

"**Last chance, Sam, to tell me we can't." Jason knew that he wasn't being fair to Sam. She shouldn't have to be the one to say no. He knew that she was attracted to him sexually, knew that eventually she would say yes if he kept harassing her about it, and that he should really let it go and take things slowly like he had planned. He knew he should do the right thing.  
**

**But fuck, it was hard. Too hard. He couldn't do it.  
**

**She was in her underwear.  
**

**Looking hotter than hell. Looking curvy and firm, bronzed and beautiful. Looking like all she need was a spritz of oil all over her and she could be on the cover of Maxim. Her panties couldn't be serving any other purpose than ensuring her pants could zip, because they only covered the absolute essentials. She had large firm breasts, and her bra was shoving them up and out of the half moon cotton cup.  
**

**He was helpless. He was hopeless. He was a quivering blob of ball-busting lust.  
**

**Lips on hers, kissing, biting, hands sinking inside the back f her panties, stroking. His throbbing cock pressing, while he tried to think rational thoughts.  
**

"**Yes," she said in a whoosh of hot air. "Yes, yes, damn it all to hell and back, yes."  
**

**He swore his knees went weak with gratitude. "Are you sure?" he asked like a dumb ass.  
**

"**Oh, yeah. I'm as sure as sure can get. But if you want, I'll put it in writing." And she nipped his bottom lip.  
**

"**Not necessary," he panted, giving her another quick kiss. That ****turned into another. And another.**

**While the kisses grew hotter and longer, his fingers somehow managed to stroll to the front of her panties. He cupped her, felt her heat against his hand, while she jerked and inch back and looked at him with glazed eyes.  
**

**For a split second he thought they could finish this right then and there. He could just undo his jeans, pull her panties, aside, lean against the unpainted wall and be there together in about sixty seconds.  
**

**Then sanity returned. He had learned something over the years.  
**

**Lust was empty and selfish  
**

**He didn't want that with Sam. Those were not the feelings he had for her. He wanted to show her how special she was, how he cared, how he wanted to see her happy.  
**

"**Sorry. Damn, sorry baby." Pulling his hand out of her panties, he took a step away. Grabbed a deep breath. Put his hands into his pockets so he wouldn't lose control and reach for her.  
**

**She gave him a suspicious look. "Sorry for what?" She growled.  
**

**They'd had this conversation before. And she hadn't liked his answer that time. Crap, he couldn't remember what he'd said and how he'd done it wrong. But she hadn't liked the whole apology thing.  
**

"**I just mean that I'm sorry that … its not tonight. Because the I would …" He was really having a hard time with this. He was not a seductive kind of guy, and if he tried to be sexy, he was going to sound like Romeo, the porn version.  
**

**She didn't look impressed either. Her hand had snuck up to her bare hip and her lips pursed.  
**

**Maybe if he wasn't looking in her eyes he could do this. But when he did, right after noticing the little blue horse stitched on her panties, he thought about the other men she must have encountered in her life and he froze up solid.  
**

**So he pulled her toward him, tempted himself by fitting her right along the length of him. Nuzzling his mouth into her hair, he grasped for some courage and the right words.  
**

**He whispered in her ear, "I would make love to you. I really really want to right now, but I'm going to wait because I want to take my time. I want to satisfy you."  
**

"**Nice save." She said.  
**

**Damn. She wasn't buying it  
**

**But it was true. So he said exactly what he'd been thinking, in his own words. "I mean it. Sure, it entered my mind to just unzip, scoot your panties over and go at it right now, but I figured that would be cheating both of us. So I pulled back and said I was sorry. Sorry. I want to get everything out of it, that, ah, you need."  
**

**Sam gave a husky laugh and ran her lips over his chin. "Mr. Unselfish."  
**

"**I try." Jason stripped off his shirt and threw it at her.  
**

"**What are you doing?" Sam shot him a look and at the same time ogled his chest.  
**

**He was grateful for all the hours of manual labor he had put in. He enjoyed working out. But now was not the time for her to be exploring his chest. Later on that night he planned to carve out plenty of time for that. "I'm going to help you paint. And if you don't put that on I'm not going to be able to concentrate."  
**

"**Oh right, of course. And with you like that I am going to be the poster child for concentration." She mused.  
**

**He crossed the room and took the shirt from her hands. Gathering the shirt up toward the neck hole, he yanked it over Sam's head. Her hair spread across her face, and she blew at it.  
**

"**What the hell?"  
**

"**Now it's your paint shirt. Feel free to keep it, you can use it to paint, or clean, or whatever."  
**

**She stuck her arms through the sleeves and tugged it down.  
**

**"Paint shirt. Wow. What a concept."  
**

**He surveyed the room so far. "It looks like your doing pretty good." If you ignored the paint droplets form one end on the room to the other, the streaky wall, and the various big blobs of dried paint on Sam's body. She looked like she'd been in a paintball war and lost.  
**

**It was time to raise the flag and surrender.  
**

"**Flattery will get you everywhere." Sam reached for the roller. **

"**The problem here is that the wall just like sucks the paint up."  
**

**Jason like that Sam didn't pout or give up. She fought her way through, but when help was offered, she wasn't too stubborn to take it either. "You actually have too much paint on the roller. You need to roll until there isn't any more coming off."  
**

**He put his hand over hers and pushed hard on the roller, up and down with her until they had covered a three-foot-wide area.  
**

"**Start at the bottom and work your way up, using a pattern so there won't be streaks."  
**

**Hip bumping into her backside, their arms aligned, her hair falling over her shoulder, Jason found himself leaning forward. And she was leaning back.  
**

**She looked cute in his shirt. Felt good in his arms.  
**

"**I never thought that manual labor could be sexy, but I'm thinking that it is."  
**

"**Tell me about it." He was glad that he had taken his shirt off. He was sweating.  
**

"**So… do you have any sort of explanation for what is going on between us?"  
**

"**Nope"  
**

"**Oh"  
**

**He brought the roller to a stop, out of paint. Out of patience. He wanted her.  
**

"**Then I can take this wall and you can do the one on the other side of the room, because we're about to end up in the same place we were before.  
**

**Jason froze his free hand two inches from her ass, which he had been about to grab and grind against. "I don't know what you're talking about."  
**

"**Uh-huh." She nudged him with her hip. "Move it Morgan. We'll pick this up again after dinner."  
**

**Damn. "You have amazing self-control." He backed up and headed out to his truck where he knew he had a change of clothes.  
**

"**Tell me about it." She looked at him over his shoulder. "Except when it comes to shoes. I can never resist a cute pair of shoes."  
**

**And she winked, which made him want to groan.  
**

**Jason beat retreat before he tested her self-control any further.  
**

**His was already shot to hell.  
**

* * *

**After they were done painting, Sam had gone back to her place to shower and change. Jason and her agreed that she would meet him back at his place, where he would cook her dinner.  
**

**Sam enjoyed the fact that he seemed to enjoy spending time with just her. No crowded restaurants. It was easier that way.**

**They had finished dinner, which Sam was pleased to say was absolutely delicious. Jason thought it was funny that Sam couldn't cook. She had spent a good twenty minutes explaining that baking was completely different than cooking. Sure she could make some killer double chocolate chip peanut butter cookies, but ask her to make toast and she would be sure to set off your smoke detector.  
**

**Jason got up from the table he had set up in his living room. "Let me just get these dishes in the dishwasher."**

****

And then rip your clothes off, was implied.

**Sam felt ridiculous just sitting there watching him while she picture him with no pants on. So she started clearing the rest of the dishes from the table. "Here" She handed the plates over to him so he could rinse them.  
**

**Having a meal with him was something that she could get used to. In spite of the over abundance of carbs and starch, she really enjoyed herself. There was no pretentiousness, he was so honest.  
**

**It made her life feel like a Rubik's cube. Unsolvable. She didn't really understand what he wanted with a damaged ex-con woman.  
**

**But tonight, she had decided none of that mattered, and that she was going to enjoy her time Jason.  
**

"**Do you think I'll be able to paint the second coat tomorrow?"  
**

"**Yup, when are they coming to fix the windows and cases?" he asked.  
**

"**Umm, day after tomorrow. They said it should only take a few hours, so hopefully I will be able to open for business before the weekend."  
**

**He nodded his head.  
**

"**Thank you for everything. All of this has been a lot easier because of you." His arms came around her. He sighed.  
**

**Standing in his kitchen, surrounded by what she assumed was expensive furniture and Jason's mobster arms should have felt weird. Like she'd fallen into someone else's life, or done a reality show switcheroo. But it felt more real than anything she'd ever done in her life.  
**

**There was nothing artificial. Just a sense of contentment with a man she trusted more than any she'd ever known.  
**

**Dangerous, scary, bad thoughts that could get her into serious trouble. But she didn't care. She just wanted to absorb the moment, revel in it, roll the feelings over her so later on, she could pull them back out of her memory and remember that there were good men in the universe, though few and far between.  
**

**So she could remember Jason if a time came when it would be impossible to see him again.  
He patted her butt in a friendly, affectionate way. **

"**You really need to stop thanking me."  
**

"**Well I just wanted to express my appreciation. Even though I totally had that whole painting thing down, and I probably could have done a much more effective job had you not been there distracting me."  
**

**He gave a soft chuckle, and kissed her lightly.  
**

"**Do you have a towel or something, I could dry my hands on?" she asked as she looked around.  
**

"**Yeah, second drawer down." He replied. "Wait!" he yelled remembering what he had shoved in that drawer before she had come over for dinner. On his way home he had stopped at the store to pick up things for dinner, and he thought he should probably get a box of condoms as well. Only problem was when he was unloading the groceries, Morgan had come over looking for his baseball mitt and Jason panicked and threw the condoms in the first drawer he could get too. He had meant to take them upstairs, but it slipped his mind until that moment.  
**

**Too late. Sam stood in his kitchen with a box of condoms in her hand and a confused look on her face. "You keep condoms in the dish towel drawer? I would have thought your dresser would make more sense."  
**

**He cleared his throat, avoiding her eyes, which was just adorable. He was embarrassed. "Well, uh, I threw them in there and forgot to move them."  
**

"**Whatever. Yay you for even remembering them. I don't have any." Not that she had ever been one of those women who carried condoms with her in her purse.  
**

"**So let's go use one or two."  
**

**Jason didn't say anything. He just took her hand, turned around and pulled her out of the kitchen, across the dining room, and up the stairs. She wanted to say something, to crack a joke, to laugh seductively, to tug her hand out of his. But her heart was thumping hard and her mouth was dry.  
**

**Nothing witty was rattling around in her nervous brain so she just followed him, the only sound her flip-flops slapping on the carpet.  
**

**She had wondered since the day she met him what his bedroom would look like, and she was pleased to know that she was pretty spot on. There was a bed that was made, plain sheets glaring at her. A dresser with a few drawers, the top one was halfway open. There was a pair of boots on the floor and she noticed a couple crumpled up articles of clothing in the corner near the hamper. The closet was open, reveling – surprise! – more denim and enough t-shirts to suggest he needed a support group for cotton addicts.  
**

"**Its simple." He said, kicking the boots under the bed.  
**

"**It's very you, and I mean that in a good way." Sam kicked her flip-flops off by the door.  
**

"**I didn't have an interior decorated, I was worried I would end up with floral prints and that wouldn't do anything for my reputation."  
**

**She would not laugh. That would only encourage him. But even as she covered her mouth with her hand, she couldn't stop a wheezy sort of chuckle from slipping out. That petered out when Jason stripped off his shirt and let it fall to the floor.  
**

"**Take that shirt off, Sam. I just want to feel you." He wasn't waiting for her, but was tugging at her shirt, lifting it over her breasts.  
**

**This reminded her of all her shortcomings. "There isn't a lot to feel. I'm kind of small."  
**

**And why was she doing that? Warning him, turning her stature into a joke. Being defensive, reveling herself to be needy. Now he would feel obligated to give her a compliment. Or worse, tell her it was okay, he couldn't ask for everything.  
**

**He did neither. He just ripped her shirt off. Then popped open her bar and stuck his mouth right on her nipple and gage it a suck.  
No talking. Good plan. Sam dug her fingers into his back. Then promptly dropped them. Her ex, Nico, had told her she was a back scratcher and that it was annoying.  
**

**Jason pulled her closer and made little murmurs of approval as he moved from one breast to the other.  
Sam moaned. Then clamped her lips shut. She muttered, "Do you think we should close the door? And lock it? What if someone walks in?" God, there was a scary thought. Jason had told Sam all about the various people that seem to barge into his penthouse without warning. The thought of someone walking in while Jason was licking her nipple was a scary thought.  
**

**Her desire disappeared.  
**

**Hot, cold, hot, cold. She was a regular thermostat.  
**

**Jason lifted his head and scrutinized Sam. She looked tense. She sounded a bit on the edge of hysteria.  
**

**He was nervous enough for himself, as it was, afraid he wouldn't measure up to her previous lovers. Her obvious uncertainty wasn't going to help one bit. Reaching behind her, he shut the door and locked it. **

"**We'll hear them coming up the stairs."  
**

"**We will?"  
**

**Maybe. "Sure." Jason pushed her bra off her shoulders so it would fall to her floor. Sam stood there in her pants and nothing else, looking a bit like she had just decided to sell her soul to Satan and was regretting it.  
**

**Jason just stood staring at Sam, in doubt.  
**

**Something wasn't working here.  
**

**But Sam seemed to give herself a mental shake, because she went over to the bed and lay down on her side. The move should have looked sexy as sin, but instead looked practiced to him. Like she was posing, not being spontaneous.  
**

**He popped the button on his jeans, aroused in spite of all his random, colliding, doubting thoughts. Sam was laid out of his bed. It was impossible not to react, even if it was half-hearted. Which meant he was an idiot. He shouldn't be thinking at all. He should just be diving on her. No wonder he sucked at making love to a woman. He was slow.  
**

**Feeling like an ox climbing in bed with a gazelle, he managed to climb up beside her without tipping her onto the floor. Her smile was looking a little strained.  
He gave her a kiss, a soft one, that didn't lead to anything. It was just a nice, what-the-fuck-are-we-doing? kind of kiss.  
**

**Sam's hands started roaming over the front of his jeans. Around and around and Jason wanted to crawl under the bed and bludgeon himself to death with her flip-flop. She wasn't finding anything.  
**

**She sighed. "This isn't going to happen is it?"  
**

**Or maybe he could smother himself in the pillows. "I don't think so." He tried to will himself to rise to the occasion, but there was no cooperation.  
**

"**I'm sorry. It's my fault." She flopped on her back and rested her hands on her stomach about her pants. **

"**I'm giving off weird vibes, aren't I?"  
**

**He was pretty damn sure they both were. "I think we're both thinking, worrying."  
**

"**My last boyfriend …" She pulled the bed pillow over her chest and hugged it. "God, I can't believe I'm going to tell you this. But I overheard him telling someone that he wished I had longer legs. And that my ass was too round. And that, uh, my skills in bed were lacking."  
**

"**You're kidding." Jason forgot all about his own discomfort and brushed Sam's hair out of her eyes. He propped himself on one elbow. "That's crazy. And rude, he's an asshole. You have a fabulous body. Sometimes I think I need a bib when I'm looking at you."  
**

**She gave a tight laugh. "You're very sweet, but I know I don't have a models body. I'm short and curvy. I don't like to wear fancy clothes. I am more comfortable in jeans and a tank top. I like to just be me, and I thought that would be enough. Guess I was wrong."  
**

"**No, you weren't wrong. You don't need to be tall or wear frilly clothes to make you attractive or desirable." The very thought make him angry, and nauseous. "What a jackass. And he called himself your boyfriend? Why would he say things like that about you?"  
**

**Sam turned a little, and he could see luminous tears hovering in her eyes. "Because he didn't give a shit about me. I thought that he did, but it turned out that he had another girlfriend on the side, or maybe I was the one on the side and she was the one he really cared about. She was the one he liked spending time with. I was there to keep his bed warm, but apparently I couldn't even do that right."  
**

**When a tear rolled down her cheek, he wiped it with his thumb, distraught at the pain splashed all over her face. "Oh, baby, that's just so wrong … I'm so sorry."  
**

"**I've never been more humiliated in my whole life, And apparently in stuck some doubts in my head, because I was standing here and all I could think about was that what if I am lousy in bed and no one had the guts to tell me? Not that there have been a lot. I just didn't want to disappoint you and embarrass my self, cause you are so different from every other guy I've been with. You're special. Of course, now I've already embarrassed myself by dumping all this on you. Here are all my flaws and insecurities – how unsexy is that?"  
**

**But it was actually very sexy. It leveled the playing field.  
**

"**I'm so damn glad you said something." Jason stroked her breast, held his hand over the warm flesh. "To tell you the truth, I was getting a little performance anxiety. I figured you've been with all these smooth guys, and I'm just some gangster. I've only had sex a 2 times since my divorce from Courtney 3 years ago, and trust me, neither time was anything to write home about. I was starting to think it was me."  
**

**Her eyebrows shot up. "I find that hard to believe, with this body," she said as she ran her hand up and down his strong chest, "I would think that you have to beat the woman off with a stick."  
**

**He chuckled. "Well, aren't we a pair? It's almost funny."  
**

**Jason lay down beside her and pondered the ceiling. He was so relieved, he did feel like laughing. Sam didn't expect perfection from him. "Do you ever think things happen for a reason, Sam? Like maybe you're here in Port Charles because we both needed each other right now?" He wasn't sure where all these thoughts were coming from. It wasn't like Jason to think about things like fate or destiny, but with the beautiful woman in his bed he simply had to question things.  
She was quiet, and he started to think it had been a mistake to blurt out his thoughts. But then she whispered, "I'd like to say that the reason I'm here is because it's near one of the best schools that I could get Danny into and a cheap real estate deal. But I don't know, Jason … when I'm here with you like this, it seems too right to be an accident. I think that you maybe onto something."  
**

**He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in to his chest. "No pressure. I just want to hold you."  
**

"**We're just going to cuddle? Sure, that's what all the boys say." But she nuzzled in along him, her cheek resting on his chest.  
**

**Jason thought that her skin felt like butter, soft and creamy. They should probably get their shirts back on but he was reluctant to let Sam go.  
**

"**I don't really know what exactly is going on here with us. I just don't know." Sam sat up, putting her arm on the opposite side of his chest, so she hovered over him, her breasts touching his chest. "But I do know that I am so glad that I met you."  
**

"**So am I." More that he could express with just words. He put his hand on the back if her head and guided her down to him.  
**

**When her mouth met his, she had already opened it for him and Jason was grateful all over.  
**

**Jason Morgan had a way of making Sam forget who she was. Or maybe he let her forget that she had to be anything but herself.  
**

**With Jason, it didn't matter what she was wearing, or how her hair looked. She just had to be herself, and that after-school-special sounding cliché was liberating  
**

**He kissed with a kind of tender recklessness. It was hot and eager and filled with an intensity she had never felt and didn't understand. The way he held onto her back, moved across her mouth, was like he wanted to absorb her into him, hold on, make it last.  
**

**The effect on her inner thighs was exhilarating. Jason wanted her, and help her, she wanted him. She coveted him; she had to have him. A desperate part of her brain knew she would never meet another man quiet as sweet as Jason, and she wanted to feel him inside her before he changed his mind.  
**

**She tangled her tongue with his, encouraging, grinding her hips onto his after she climbed onto him. Her bare chest pressed into his hot, hard flesh as she wiggled her mound against his erection. Oh, yes, right there, it was nice and perfectly positioned, and she moaned, ripping her mouth off his.  
**

"**Take off your jeans." And to prove she was serious, she grappled with the zipper on them, finally getting it down. She dusted a kiss on his navel, running her nose over the soft blonde hair there.  
**

**Jason was breathing heavy, eyes half closed, and he didn't hesitate. He set her aside, undid his pants, and stripped them down his legs, giving hard little kicks until they fell off his feet. He sat up and reached for her, and she almost passed out.  
**

**Damn, he was so hot. He was like a sculpture. Everything was hard and muscular and big. Everything. Yowza, that fabric was stretched tight across his pelvis.  
**

"**Take off your boxers too," she said in a breathy voice.  
**

**That freaked her out a little. She was tempted to glance around the room and see who in the hell said that. She didn't demand men take off their underwear. **

**She didn't use a wispy, sex kitten voice.  
**

**But she had never been with a man like Jason – brawny and earthy and unselfish  
**

**Jason liked the bossy, kind of slutty voice. He gave **

**her an arrogant grin. "If you insist."  
**

**His boxers went bye-bye and then he was lying next to her, moving in for the kill. He couldn't do it fast enough to suit her. She was aroused in a painful, achy, desperate kind of way that was as baffling as it was exciting. She was squirming in her pants, and he hadn't even touched her yet.  
**

**When he did, it was only to strip her of her pants, yanking them down until the were inside out. She gasped when the air hit her bare skin. He had taken off her panties too.  
**

"**Thought I'd kill two birds with one stone."  
**

"**Good plan." And she would not be embarrassed. There was nothing wrong with her body. She wouldn't lock her legs together. Jason desired her, wanted her, and would never use her.  
**

"**Sam …" he sucked in his breath.  
**

**She forced her eyes open, heart pounding and shoulders tight with tension, even as she knew she trusted him not to hurt her.  
**

"**Yes?"  
**

**He dropped his finger onto her breast, traced the outline of her curve while goose bumps rose on her flesh. His eyes roamed over her. "God, you're beautiful. I don't have any better words for it than that … but it's true. I've never wanted a woman the way I want you right now."  
**

**She laid herself out to Jason both literally and figuratively, and he took that and made it seem natural. He made her feel real.  
**

"**I want you too. And I don't want to wait anymore." With hot, trembling fingers, she reached out and stroked him, squeezing a little up and down the length of him.  
**

**He shuddered. "Were we waiting? I didn't think we were."  
**

**Reaching behind to the nightstand, he grabbed the box of condoms and shook one loose. Sam reluctantly let go of his erection so he could sheath it. When he had it in place, he drew her leg over his hip, opening her up while they both stayed on their sides.  
**

**She like facing him like this, both relaxed, their mouths close, shoulders as even as the could get with the height difference. It was comfortable and intimate, feelings she wasn't sure she'd ever really shared with another man.  
**

**Sam swallowed hard as he settled her leg higher, forcing her to come apart for him. The position had her spread wide, vulnerable, and he pressed against her wet heat with his finger. Gliding up and down over her clit and dipping inside her, his finger was teasing and torturous. Jason stared at her, the left side of his face resting on the pillow.  
**

"**You feel amazing. Tight and wet. I want to be inside you." He murmured, nuzzling his nose across her cheek,  
**

**Sam closed her eyes, arching her body toward his touch. He was doing the most delicious subtle things inside her, stroking here, pressure there. "I'm good with that."  
**

**He removed his finger right as his mouth took hers with passion. The man could kiss. One lip lock and he had her feeling like the sexiest woman this side of Vegas. And it was more than that. It was that when he kissed, she could feel the emotion it. She could feel that when she was with him she mattered to Jason.  
It was just as arousing as any strokes of his fingers.  
**

**The room was hot, and the bed was creaking beneath them. But Sam was only vaguely aware that a world existed outside of Jason Morgan's naked body. She took a quick glance down at him as he knocked on her door so to speak.  
**

**The whole leg over the hip thing seemed a little innovative, though visually sexy as hell, but with the size difference Sam had to ask, "Is this going to work?"  
**

"**I have no idea, but I am willing to try."  
**

**Okay then, she could be spontaneous too. "Try away."  
**

**He didn't just try. He made it work. Jason put his hand on her ass to keep her immobile, and he entered her with a big push that knocked the air right out of her overworked lungs.  
**

"**Holy shit …" was his opinion.  
**

"**Aaahhh" was hers. Her tongue tied in knots. Her fingers went numb. Her gut shivered and her legs locked.  
**

"**You okay?" He hovered in her, throbbing and deep, his grip on her ass relaxing a little.  
**

**Sam nodded, not sure she could speak. She dug her stubby fingernails into his shoulders and didn't care if he liked scratching or not. If she didn't hold on, she was going to end up on the floor.  
**

**Jason pulled back, then pushed in, and her head snapped back on a moan.  
**

**Then again, harder. Deeper.  
**

**She found her voice again. "Oh, God, that feels incredible."  
**

**Closing her eyes, she relaxed, let him build a rhythm, and dropped her fingers down to his waist. His muscles flexed as he thrust into her, and his breath coming in short pants.  
**

**Then she was falling, without even a push. She was just sliding off into ecstasy, her orgasm a slow, undulating river of pleasure, unexpected and easy.  
**

**He pumped faster, and she dragged her eyes open, smiling in exhilaration at him. "I said it before, but that**… **feels … so … good."**

"**Tell me about it." He said through gritted teeth, his upper lip moist.  
**

**Feeling playful and satisfied and yet like she could lie there and let him sink into her for the rest of her life, **

**Sam bit at his mouth. "Mmmmm."  
**

**Jason paused for a split second, long enough for her to realize he was about to come, so she squeezed her inner muscles tightly around him.  
**

"**Sam," he whispered in a ragged voice. Then he exploded inside her with a deep moan, hand ****convulsing on her thigh.**

**His eyes locked on hers and as he pounded himself into her, Sam knew that he was with her, he was one hundred percent focused on her and not anyone or anything else.  
**

**As he slowed down, she gave a soft laugh. "No wonder the gangsters always get the girl, its really great sex."  
**

**He drew in a shuddery breath and brushed the hair away from her eyes. "Never that great before."  
**

**Excuse her while she purred. She felt relaxed, sluggish, exhilarated. Wiggling a little, she scooted closer to him.  
**

"**I'm sweaty." He warned  
**

"**I don't care." She wanted to feel him up against all of her, shoulders to toes, while he was still inside her.  
**

"**Good. And you know, I think the thing about great sex is that, it's even better when you do it with the right person."  
**

**His arms closed around her back, making her feel feminine and cherished. "That's true."  
**

**When he kissed the top of her head, she tried to remember why she wasn't going to give her trust her heart to another man. Why she wasn't going to let another man control her future ever again.  
**

**All she could seem to think about was how it would be really simple to fall in love with Jason Morgan. One green light from her brain to her heart, and she'd be there.  
**

**Jason liked her for who she was, and so did she.  
**

"**You know you have a farmers tan." She ran her hands over his hip. He was golden bronze from the waist up. Below that, he was like bleached cotton.  
**

"**Well that might have something to do with the fact I don't walk around with no pants on too often." He gave her a wry grin as he shifted a little and pulled out of her.  
**

**She sighed a little at the loss. "I could fix that for you ****with a little self tanner."**

"**I don't want it fixed." Jason rolled over, reaching for his boxers. "I don't really care."  
**

"**You don't care that your butt is white?" she teased, as he flashed same said butt when he stood up.  
**

"**No. I really don't. It's not like I have to look at it." He stepped into his boxers and gave the waistband a snap to get it into place.  
**

**Sam laughed. "You're so practical, its one of the things I love about you."  
**

**Then she almost choked, realizing she had said the **"**L" word without thinking. His eyes widened, and she was sure hers did too. They could probably pass for two bullfrogs staring at each other.**

**She really didn't want him to get the wrong idea. To think that she was dangling after him. That she was going to expect something from him beyond friendship and some incredible sex.  
**

**Sitting up, she let her hair fall over her face to hide any tell-tale redness that might be clashing with her tan. His t-shirt was the only piece of clothing within range, so she swiped it and pulled it on. "We should get dressed, I have to get home. Ruthie should be back tonight."  
**

**Jason picked up his jeans and stuck a foot in one leg. **

"**You know what I love about you Sam?"  
**

"**Oh, God, I can't even imagine." Still a little embarrassed, she swung her legs toward him and scooted off the edge of the bed.  
**

"**Everything. And do you remember that question you asked me earlier? If I knew what was going on between us. I'm still not sure, but after what just happened in my bed, I do know that your mine. No one else. And you better not forget it."  
**

**His callused hand fell on her cheek, and Sam gave a little involuntary gasp, touched to the point of near tears. Her brain tripped the stop light from red to green, and her heart sped ahead right straight into love.  
**

**Then he grinned, his hand falling away. "Oh wait, I don't love your painting. You can't paint for shit."  
**

**She gave a watery laugh. "Watch it, White Butt."  
**

**But it was too late. She had fallen in love with Jason. She couldn't go backward now, and she wasn't sure how to go forward. So for now, she'd just stand still and see what happened.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sam left Jason's knowing that she was in love with him, but not sure what that actually meant. Jason had said that she was his, which Sam had to admit made her happier than she ever thought possible.**

**But she was scared.  
**

**There was still so much about her that he didn't know. Things that she didn't want to talk about to anyone, especially Jason.  
**

**She couldn't believe that she almost blurted out her biggest secret earlier that evening. She was grateful that she was a good liar, and that she was able to cover it up.  
She hadn't actually lied, at least that was what she kept telling herself. Sam didn't like the idea of lying to Jason.  
**

**It was true that Sam was embarrassed by her relationship with Nico, but not because of the reasons she told Jason. Yes, he had told her that she was too short to be beautiful, but things like that never mattered to Sam. And she was also pretty sure that he had another girlfriend as well, probably more than one, but again that wasn't what caused her to panic.  
**

**When she found herself standing half naked in front of Jason she was so scared that he would see all the scars that Nico had left behind. Both emotional and physical.  
**

**Sam was ashamed that she had let Nico hurt her. He had made her weak, and she hated that. Sam was not a girl that got used, or hit. She was not one of those girls that forgot about everything that mattered to her just because she met some guy.  
**

**But that is exactly who she became when she met Nico. He was older and so cute. She didn't understand why he paid attention to her, but she knew that she liked it when he did.  
And because of Nico, Sam did things she never thought she would do. She let him control her, and she put him before Danny.  
**

**Sam stated to slack off at the bakery, some days not even bothering so stick around for her whole shift. She would leave Danny with Grace for days at a time.  
**

**When Sam came home with a black eye, she knew that Grace wouldn't believe that she ran into a door so she told her the truth.  
**

**When Grace found out what kind of guy Nico was, and that he had not only been abusing Sam but that he had gotten her into stealing cars, she gave Sam a choice. Either Sam cut all ties with Nico or she was no longer welcome at the bakery. Grace told her that she would take Danny away unless she got her life in order.  
**

**Sam knew that she had messed up with Nico and swore to Grace that she would do as she asked, and promised Danny that she would make it up to him even if it took her the rest of her life.  
**

**When she went to break things off with Nico, Sam knew that it wasn't going to be easy.  
**

**Sam knew that Nico wasn't above hitting her. She had been subject to a few beatings, but Nico would say it was just because she didn't listen, or she was looking at another guy.  
So Sam had expected him to yell, push, and maybe even hit her when she told him it was over. She did not expect that he would beat her so badly that should couldn't even stand up. And she defiantly didn't expect that as she lay crumpled up in a ball on the floor of Nico's filthy low rent apartment with a shattered jaw and two broken ribs, that he would shoot her.  
**

**Nico had left Sam to die in that apartment.  
**

**But as she laid there on the floor and the world started to fade away, she kept seeing Danny's face. It was him that gave her the strength. She knew that he needed her and she promised him that she would never leave him.  
**

**Sam spent the next two weeks in the hospital, and when she was released she testified against Nico. He was now behind bars for the next 25 years for her attempted murder.**

**Although Sam always told herself that what happened with Nico was in the past, there were still moments when it felt like it had just happened. Nico was the reason that Sam never got involved with men, she was scared that she would end up that broken girl bleeding on the floor if she did.  
**

**So she put all of her focus into Danny and the bakery. But then along came Jason Morgan and she couldn't deny the pull that he had on her. She wasn't afraid that Jason would be like Nico, in fact he was the exact opposite. Where Nico was cruel, Jason was kind. Where Nico was violent, Jason was gentle. Where Nico didn't want Sam to have anything to call her own, Jason seemed to want to help Sam realize her dreams. It was ironic that Sam found comfort, peace, and a safe place in the arms of a man most people were terrified off.  
**

**Sam didn't want Jason to know about what happened with Nico because she was afraid he would see her for the selfish person she had been then. Grace, Danny, even the police officers had told Sam time and time again that what happened was not her fault, but they were wrong. She had made the choice to be with that monster. Even though Danny and Grace had forgiven her for the mistakes she had made, Sam could never forgive herself. What kind of person leaves their sick brother at home to go steal cars with a guy that beats her? How could she expect Jason to see her as a good and caring person when she didn't see herself that way at all.  
**

**Sam felt as though she deserved the brutality that Nico had shown her that night. She held onto the pain so that she had a constant reminder of what happens when you are selfish.  
So she wouldn't tell Jason about it. She had learned that all good things in her life would come to a premature end, so she was going to enjoy whatever happiness she had while she had it. She would cherish every moment she had with Jason, before he realized what kind of person she really was. And he left.**

**Sam pulled up to her apartment, trying to shake off the thoughts of the past, and smiled as she approached her front door. There was a small gift bag and a single rose propped up against the door. Sam picked it up and walked inside.  
**

"**Hey, Sammy. Nice of you to make it home, do I even need to ask where you have been?" Ruthie asked with a wiggle of her eyebrows.  
**

"**Hey, your back! And you can ask whatever you want? "  
**

**"Oh, so how was he in bed, how big was 'it'? How many times did you…"  
**

"**Okay, anything but that, you big perv!" Sam laughed  
**

**Sam tossed the rose at her best friend and plopped down on the couch beside her.  
**

"**My Sammy girl, you are positively glowing." Ruthie exclaimed.  
**

"**I had a really good day. And I am going to tell you something, but you have to promise me that you are not going to crap all over my wonderful moment."  
**

"**Promise." She said with her hand over her heart.  
**

"**I think, no I know that I am madly in love with Jason Morgan." Sam said and waited for the lecture to begin, but was surprised when it didn't come. Instead she was greeted with a huge hug from the woman she thought of as a sister.  
**

"**Now I could go into all the reason why getting involved with a mobster is a really bad idea, but I can see how happy he makes you, so I am happy for you. You deserve to be happy Sammy. But I swear if he hurts you in any way, his mob connections will not be able to save him from my wrath. And you can tell him I said that."  
**

"**You are the bestest friend in the whole wide world, you know that?" Sam said as she returned the hug.  
**

"**You're not so bad yourself Sammy girl. So what's in the bag, the anticipation is killing me!"  
**

"**Oh, I forgot all about it." Sam opened the bag wondering what Jason had gotten her. She couldn't figure out how he had dropped something off before she had time to get home since he was still at his penthouse when she left. She just figured he had one of his men do it for him.  
**

**Sam pulled out all the red tissue paper and pulled a stuffed cat from the bottom of the bag.  
**

**Sam's heart stopped and she dropped the stuffed animal on the ground. Ruthie saw the fear pass through Sam's eyes and asked.  
**

"**You don't think it's…"  
**

"**NO! It's probably just a really bad coincidence. It's from Jason. It has to be from Jason." Sam said trying to convince herself as well as Ruthie.  
**

"**Sam, you're probably right. Maybe you should call and thank him, that way you would know for sure." Ruthie suggested not wanting to push her friend any harder.  
**

"**Yeah." Was all that Sam replied. She got up off the couch, and walked toward her bedroom tossing the stuffed cat on the kitchen table as she passed it.  
**

**She closed the door to her bedroom and slowly sank to the floor. Pulling her knees up toward her chest, as she let the fear wash over her.  
**

**He was in prison, he had to be in prison. They would notify her if he was released. She had to have been right, that it was just a coincidence. Jason didn't know anything about her past. He wouldn't have known that although most of what happened that horrible night was a blur, Sam could never forget the words that Nico had whispered in her ear over and over.  
**

"**You've been a bad kitty, a very bad kitty."  
**

**Sam had dreamt of that voice many times over the years and she always woke up screaming.  
**

**She was pulled out of her thoughts when Ruthie knocked on her door. She didn't know how long she had been sitting on her floor, but apparently long enough for Ruthie to start worrying.  
**

"**Sam, did you get a hold of Jason?" she asked.  
**

"**Umm, yeah. I was right, it was from him." She said as she pulled her cell phone from her purse and opened the door. "We haven't really gotten into my past, so he didn't know that I have an aversion to all things cat" she said with a slight smile, hoping that her friend wouldn't know that she was lying to her face.  
**

**But she didn't want to get into the whole Nico thing with Jason, and she worried that if she asked about the gift it would bring up a conversation that she just wasn't ready to have.  
**

"**Oh, well that's good. Nothing to worry about then, right?"  
**

"**Right! So I am glad that you are back, we actually still have a lot of work to do at the bakery." Sam said hoping that the change in topic would go over smoothly. "I'm just going to jump in the shower then we can head over and get to work."  
**

**With that Sam blew past her friend and into the bathroom. She wished that the hot water from the shower would erase her fears, but she knew deep down that it wouldn't. Sam didn't handle fear well, it made her feel out of control and she hated it. But she knew that for the first time in her life she had everything to lose if she self destructed, so she would just have to pull it together, if not for herself than for Ruthie, Danny and even Jason.**

* * *

**Jason had a headache.  
**

**He had an amazing day with Sam and was sad when she said that she had to leave. And now here he was sitting on the couch at Carly and Sonny's listening to her go on and on about Michael.  
**

**Now Jason loved Michael like he was his own, but he couldn't seem to concentrate on what Carly was talking about. He knew that Michael was safe so what was so damn important.  
**

"**Okay, Carly you need to calm down and explain to me what is exactly is going on with Michael."  
**

"**Jason, I just told you! He's out of control. He's skipping school, I just got a speeding ticket in the mail that he never told me about, and I have gotten 3 phone calls from Coleman in the last month telling me that he's been at Jakes trying to drink and picking fights. I don't know what to do! I need your help." Carly cried.  
**

**Jason had been expecting this for a while now. Michael had a complicated life. Most kids envied him because his parents had money and he got anything he ever wanted. But chaos consumed most of his young life. His parents were constantly fighting, he had been kidnapped and shot. It made sense that now in his teenage years he was testing his limits. Jason had done the same kind of things after his accident. He knew that Carly hovering over him and trying to take care of him was just going to make things worse, but how do you tell a mother that the best thing she could do for her kid is just leave him alone.  
**

"**He needs something to do with his time to keep him out of trouble. Maybe you and Sonny can make him get a job, something legal away from the organization."  
**

"**You know that's not a bad idea Jase. Maybe I could talk to Courtney and Jax see if they have anything he could do at the Metro Court. Or I could talk to the Quartermaine's."  
**

"**The Quatermaine's? You really want Michael around all that crazy?" Jason asked.  
**

"**Okay, maybe not the Quatermaines. I'll talk to Sonny and see what he thinks. You know Jason you always have the answers to all my problems. I don't know what I'd do without you!" she said as she pinched his cheeks.  
**

**Jason grimaced and turned his head away, he mumbled "Maybe fix your own problems for once in you life."  
**

"**What? Did you say something?" Carly asked.  
**

"**Nope. Hey I got to go, let me know how things go with Michael." Jason said as he headed toward the door.  
**

"**Hey Jase, I noticed a little brown haired woman sneaking out of your penthouse a little while ago. Did you want to explain that to me?"  
**

"**You know what Carly? I really don't. And she wasn't sneaking." Jason said as he walked out and closed the door behind him.**

**

* * *

**

**Jason spent the entire evening thinking about Sam. He didn't understand how she had gotten under his skin so quickly. Normally it took months if not longer before Jason trusted someone, but with Sam everything was just so easy. He found himself confiding in her. She had only been gone a few hours and he missed her. She seemed to fit in to his life like it was where she was meant to be.  
**

**He was scared though. Sam knew what he did for a living. But reading about 'mob life' was one thing, and living it was another. Courtney had told him that she loved him despite what he did and then she left him. He didn't want the same thing to happen with Sam. He needed her to know that if she choose to be with him that he would do everything in his power to keep her safe, and he hoped that would be enough.  
**

**He was sure that he would never fall in love again after Courtney. He had told himself that love wasn't something that fit into his life. Jason wasn't exactly sure how a tiny little woman had changed all that, but he did know one thing.  
He loved her.  
**

**He was also pretty sure that she wasn't ready to hear him say it, but he found an uncommon kind of peace in thinking it.  
He loved her, he just hoped that she could love him too some day. And that when she said it, it would be forever.**

**The next week had flown by for Sam, she had spent most of her waking hours in the bakery and was pleased that she only had to have her doors closed for 5 days. The bakery was now open and doing pretty well if she did say so herself. There seemed to be a steady flow of customers and she and Ruthie were trying their best to keep things running smoothly.  
Sam had to admit that she was shocked at the amount of work it took to run a tiny little bakery. When she worked with Grace she just baked and helped out front when Grace couldn't, she had no idea what she had gotten herself into. Without Danny there to help out her work load seemed to triple. Danny had always helped her out in the kitchen with the baking and helped her close up the shop. To put in bluntly she was exhausted by the end of her first week as a small business owner.  
**

**And she missed Jason.  
**

**She somehow ended up on his doorstep most evenings, covered in sugar or frosting, which Jason had told her was incredibly sexy, but she knew he was just being nice. This particular evening she was covered in chocolate icing due to a malfunction with a pastry bag. When Jason opened the door he couldn't help from laughing.  
**

"**You know you keep laughing at me like that, I'm going to start to take it personally."  
**

"**Sorry, you look like you had a hard day." He said as he moved out of the way to let her in.  
**

"**Oh you don't know that half of it." She said as Jason pulled her into his arms and started working his tongue up and down the side of her neck. "Jason what are you doing?"  
**

"**You taste really good! Best chocolate I have ever had." He whispered in to her ear as his hands found their way under her shirt. "We should really get you out of these clothes before they stain."  
**

"**Good thinking Morgan, I never knew you were so concerned with fashion."  
**

**She could feel his smile on her neck, "Only when it gets you naked in my living room." He pulled her shirt over her head and stood back to admire her beauty. "God damn, you are so gorgeous." He said  
**

"**You always know the right thing to say to a girl." She jumped into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. "Take me upstairs and make me forget about my crappy day." She said as she nipped at his bottom lip.  
**

"**How can I say no to that."  
**

**Jason carried her upstairs and laid her on his bed. He continued to work on her neck and across her collarbone. Sucking and nibbling his was toward her breast. Sam arched her back into him and he took the opportunity to unclasp her bra. He pushed the straps off her shoulders and let it fall off. He trailed kisses in between her breast and down her flat stomach until he reached the top of her pants. He placed a kissed to her belly button which made Sam giggle. He loved how she bucked underneath him, it turned him on to know that she wanted him as badly as he wanted her. He had never known passion until he met Sam, she unlocked something inside. He would never get tired of pleasuring her, and she seemed to feel the same way.  
**

**He unbuttoned her pants and pulled them from her body. She laid there completely naked, hair a bit tousled, eyes glazed over and he thought that there was nothing quiet as beautiful in the entire world.  
**

**He placed his mouth on hers and was lost in the love he felt for this woman. He parted her lips with his tongue and tasted her. She always tasted sweet like sugar and something else, something that was purely Sam.  
**

"**Jason" she moaned against his lips. "You know I am normally all about this whole sensual thing, but right now I need you to be inside, please." She begged.  
**

**Sam had never really felt comfortable enough with a man to tell him what she wanted, but Jason was different. She trusted him completely and lost all inhibitions when she was with him like this.  
**

"**Please Jason, fuck me!"  
**

**Jason didn't need to be asked twice. He quickly removed his clothes and positioned himself between her legs. He kissed her hard just as he entered her. Sam gasped at the feeling of him being buried inside of her. He didn't move at first, just basking in the feeling that being with her brought him. But after a few moments he couldn't help but pump into her.  
**

"**OH God, you feel so good Jason. Please harder, faster." She cried  
**

**Jason obeyed and picked up the pace as he drove himself deeper into her until he could feel her start to tighten around him. He knew that she was close so he reached down in between them and found her clit and flicked it a few times. And that did it, she came screaming his name. Nothing had ever sounded sexier than the way she said his name while coming. Had he not been close before that was enough to send him over the edge. A few more pumps and he emptied himself inside her.  
**

"**God, you are amazing you know that." Sam said after she had caught her breath.  
**

"**I did have a little help." He replied as he rolled off of her. He laid there for a few minutes before getting up and throwing her clothes into the washing machine.**

**Sam found herself wrapped up in Jason's navy blue sheets perched on the edge of his kitchen table while he threw her clothes into the dryer.  
**

"**Hungry?" he asked illuminated by the light from the kitchen.  
**

"**What do you have?" she asked as he opened the fridge.  
**

"**Tortellini?" He asked holding up the package?  
**

"**Ugh, no!" Sam said shaking her head as she shuffled over to peer into the refrigerator alongside of him.  
**

"**Lasagna? Sonny made it." He asked.  
**

"**Oooo, yes please."  
**

"**How about some wine?"  
**

**She nodded as she grabbed a bottle of red pushing the door to the fridge closed with her hip. She leaned against it and watched him pull out plates and set them up at the table in his boxers. Sam couldn't help but think to herself 'Go me.' There was nothing quiet as sexy as Jason Morgan without clothes.  
**

"**Should I heat this up?" he asked, kissing her bare shoulder as he passed by.  
**

"**Probably. Want some help?"  
**

"**No, you sit down." He handed her a wind glass. "You've had a hard day, icing girl." He pulled the silverware out of a drawer and laid it out on the table.  
**

"**So, Sonny left today? Isn't that what you said, that he had **'**business to take care of'." She asked being her nosy self.**

"**Yeah, he went down to Puerto Rico."  
**

"**Why aren't you in Puerto Rico?" she said as she took a sip of her wine.  
**

"**Because I'm here." He smiles.  
**

"**Here is good." She said as she poured a second glass of wine and handed it to him.  
**

**He looked over at her, glowing in the light from the microwave. **

"**You look beautiful."  
**

"**Oh, this old thing? It's a toga from the L.L. Bean collection."  
**

**He laughed. "LL who?"  
**

"**Never mind. You know I have been thinking that I am going to have to hire someone to help out down at the bakery. Ruthie and me are running ourselves ragged and we still can't keep up." She like to talk to Jason, he always seemed to calm her down.  
**

**She heard her phone beep form inside her purse. She hopped off the table and grabbed it.  
**

**One missed call. Unknown number. No message.  
**

**That was the 5th one this week. Sam pushed the anxiety down and plastered a smile on her face.  
**

**Jason watched as Sam went to get her phone. As she jumped off the table the sheet she had wrapped around her slipped down toward her waist, and that was when he noticed it.  
Sam had a scar on her lower back, a scar that Jason knew all too well. It was a gun shot wound. He didn't know why he had never noticed it before. He had thought he memorized every inch of her body. He realized that he must not have seen it before because she didn't want him to see it.  
**

**He remember one time a few days ago when he tried to join her in the shower, and she had uncharacteristically shot him down. Told him that she was in a hurry and that he would just distract her and make her late, he thought he saw panic in her eyes but quickly brushed it off.  
**

**What was he supposed to do now? Pretend like he didn't notice it? Ask her about it?  
**

**Sam turned around quickly and Jason tried to avoid looking her in the eyes.  
**

"**Important call?" he asked with his back to her.  
**

"**No, just Ruthie checking in." she said wondering what was going on with him. "You okay?"  
**

"**Yeah, fine. Come on let's eat." He figured she would talk to him when she was ready. But he couldn't help but feel rage not knowing what kind of pain she had been subjected to before he came into her life.  
**

**He knew about some of the emotional scars that her parents had left behind, and that those are the scars that are the hardest to overcome. He just hoped in time she would trust him with her past. And her future.  
**

**They had spent the rest of the evening having comfortable conversation, Jason had told her about Michael. They discussed him working at the bakery, Sam thought that it would be a good idea. She like the thought of helping a kid who was just trying to figure his way out in the world. They deiced that Jason would talk to Carly and Sonny when he got back about Michael starting at the bakery.  
**

**After Sam's clothes had dried she said that she was going to head home.  
**

"**You know you could stay." Jason said not getting his hopes up. He always asked her to stay and she always said no.  
**

"**I would, but I have to get up so early. I don't want to bother you."  
**

"**You could never bother me, but if you can't, then you can't."  
**

"**Jason, it's not that I don't want to…"  
**

"**Sam, its fine you don't have to explain yourself to me. Just call me when you get home. And I'll see you tomorrow." He said as he walked her to the door.  
**

"**Promise!" Sam pressed onto her tiptoes and placed a passionate kiss to his lips. "See you tomorrow?"  
**

"**Yeah, I was thinking I could bring Michael by so you can meet him." He suggested.  
**

"**Sounds good, see you then."**

**Sam made her way home, never noticing the car that was following her.  
**

* * *

**Jason hesitated outside the door to Carly and Sonny's penthouse. He knew that Carly would not like the idea of Michael working with the new woman in his life, he just hoped that she would be able to see the logic in it.  
**

**Sam knew a lot about what Michael had been through over the years and she knew that Michael had been getting into trouble. She understood that he had some anger issues and he had no doubt that she would be able to handle him if any problems came up.  
He knocked on the door, and then opened without waiting.  
**

"**Carly! You home?" he yelled.  
**

"**Yeah, I'll be down in a second."  
**

**Carly came bounding down the stairs excited to see her best friend. She had missed him lately. He seemed to spend all his free time with that Sam woman and she hadn't been too pleased about that.  
**

"**What's up?" Carly asked.  
**

"**I had an idea I wanted to run by you?"  
**

"**Okay, shoot."  
**

"**So you remember how we had been talking about **

**Michael getting a job to keep him out of trouble? Well I was talking to Sam last night and she had mentioned that she was actually looking for someone to help her out at the bakery. With her brother at school she needs someone to help her with customers and other small things. She said he could work any hours that you felt comfortable with." Jason explained but he saw the look that Carly was giving him and he knew that he was going to have a battle on his hands. **

"**What? Why are you making that face?"  
**

"**So what Jason, you want me to send my precious baby boy to work for some woman that you just met because she's what? Good in bed?"  
**

"**Good in bed? What the hell are you talking about Carly? This has nothing to do with my relationship with Sam. And Michael is 17 he is hardly your baby boy anymore. This is simply a good opportunity. It's not like you're going to be able to get Michael a job with some stranger. No one is going to hire Sonny Corintho's kid without wanting something in return." **

**Jason reasoned.  
**

"**Well that's why I was going to talk to Courtney and Jax."  
**

"**Come on Carly, you know that Michael doesn't really like Courtney, he never really did. And it only got worse after we split up. Plus Jax hates Sonny and me and he would use any opportunity to get to us through Michael. Do you really want to put him through that?" Jason could tell that his words were making an impact on her.  
**

"**I do hate Jax, but do you really think that Michael is going to want to work at a bakery, with some stranger?" she asked  
**

"**It's not like she's gonna make him wear a pink apron with ruffles. And Sam's actually a really fun person. I think that Michael would really like her, and so would you if you gave her a chance. Come on Carly, just give it a shot. For me." He pled.  
**

"**That's a dirty trick Jason, you know how hard it is for me to say no to you. Okay, but only if Michael agrees, which I am not sure he will do."  
**

"**Deal, but I get to tell him because I don't trust you not to persuade him toward your side." Jason said with a pointed stare.  
**

"**You have no faith in me Jase. MICHAEL! Get down here Jason wants to talk to you." She yelled.  
**

**Jason watched as Michael came running down the stairs, he noticed that he still had the headphones to his ipod in his ears. It still amazed Jason that Michael was practically an adult. It seemed like only yesterday that he had held the tiny boy in his arms and promised to always be there for him.  
**

**Jason still wondered if the decision to let Sonny adopt Michael all those years ago was the right one. He knew that Sonny and Carly had given Michael everything including love and a sense a family, but he wondered if he would have turned out differently if Jason had been the one to raise him.  
**

"**What's up Jason?" he asked as he pulled the earphones out.  
**

"**Umm, I was wondering if you would be willing to do me a favor."  
**

"**I guess that would depend on the favor, and what I get out of it." He said with a smirk.  
**

"**I have a friend that owns a bakery. She has been over worked and was looking to hire someone to help her out. I thought maybe you would like to work there after school and on weekends." Jason explained.  
**

"**What like an after school job?" he asked sounding ****interested.**

"**Yes. It's a small bakery over on Powell."  
**

"**Wait, M&M Bakery?"  
**

"**Yeah, have you been there?" Jason questioned, noticing the change in Michael's demeanor.  
**

"**Are you kidding, me and my friend Luke stop there like everyday after school. The lady that works there is super hot. Brunette big old …" he was cut off by a swift smack to the back of the head. "Mom, what the hell was that for?"  
**

**Jason couldn't hide the smirk that was forming on his face. Yup Michael was growing up. He couldn't really find it in him to be mad at the kid, hell he thought that Sam was pretty hot too.  
**

"**That hot brunette happens to be your uncle's latest girl toy." Carly spit out.  
**

"**Way to go Uncle Jason, she is one hot piece."  
**

"**Okay, that's enough Michael. So what do you say? You want to head down there with me today, so you can talk to Sam maybe work something out."  
**

"**I would love to work something out with her…" Michael was again cut off by a smack to the head, this one was a bit harder and was delivered by Jason.  
**

"**I let the first few go, don't talk about her like that. You know you shouldn't really talk about any woman like that Michael." Jason said as Michael rolled his eyes.  
**

"**Sorry, yeah sounds like it could be cool. Let's go." He said as he headed toward the door followed by Jason.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sam was tired, it had been a long day. She had been up since 4am and hadn't had time to slow down since. If she wasn't in the kitchen baking she was running around out front trying to help Ruthie with the steady flow of customers.**

**She was actually ecstatic that they were closing in just 45 minutes. She had finished washing most of the dishes when Ruthie stuck her head in.  
**

"**Hey Sam, you have some visitors." She said with a grin, just as Jason made his way through the door followed by whom she assumed was Michael.  
**

"**Hey guys. What's up?" She asked walking toward them.  
**

**She brushed a quick kiss across Jason's lips then pulled back suddenly not knowing if he wanted Michael to know about their relationship. She was surprised when Jason pulled her toward him and kissed her back. She was pleased when he held her close to his side, his arm wrapped possessively around her tiny waist.  
**

"**So you must be Michael. You look familiar have you been in here before?" she asked as she shook his hand.  
**

"**Umm, maybe. I don't know. I don't really remember." Michael stuttered as a blush spread across his cheeks.  
**

**Jason smiled as he watched the little boy he helped raise try to play it cool in front of a woman.  
**

"**Okay, so your uncle tells me that you might be interested in a job."  
**

"**Yeah, anything to get away from my mom for a few hours." He complained  
**

"**Michael!"  
**

"**Well I could defiantly use some help around here. Nothing to complicated, just help out wherever we need you. You come with great references," Sam grinned and looked at Jason, "so if you want it, the job is yours."  
**

"**Cool. When can I start?" Michael asked.  
**

"**Umm, how bout you come by Saturday around 9am?"  
**

"**Alright. Any rules I should know about?" he questioned  
**

"**Not really, we are pretty easy going around here. Just show up when your supposed to and pull your own weight and we shouldn't have any problems." Sam said.**

****

Jason, Sam and Michael stood around and talked for a few more minutes before Michael said that he had to meet his friend and took off. And about 15 minutes after that Ruthie told Sam that she was going to head home to get ready for a date she had later that evening.

**"Alone at last." Sam joked.  
**

**Jason chuckled "So you almost ready to get out of here? I thought maybe I could take you to dinner."  
**

"**I would love to, but I have some things to do around here first. You want to help me make some peanut butter cookies?" Sam asked with a devilish grin.  
**

"**I don't know how to make peanut butter cookies."  
**

"**Oh, it's easy. I'll teach you." Sam took Jason's hand and led him toward one of the counters. She then headed off to get all the stuff she needed.  
**

**She returned with flour, sugar, and a lot of peanut butter. Sam explained to him how much of what to put in and asked him to mix up the batter, while she went to use the restroom.  
**

**When Sam came back into the kitchen she couldn't help by laugh at the site of Jason Morgan, lethal mob enforcer, standing in her kitchen, wearing an apron making cookies.  
**

**She walked over to the tub of the gooey peanut butter and used her hand to get a big scoop, which she then tossed at Jason.  
**

**Direct hit.  
**

"**Oh, you are soo dead Mcall." Jason exclaimed with peanut butter smeared all over the side of his face.  
**

**Sam took off when she saw Jason grab the tub and head in her direction. She tried to make it out of the kitchen but Jason was quick and cut her off before she could reach the door. She took off in the other direction when a strong arm caught her around the waist.  
**

"**Not so fast." Jason whispered in her ear as he smeared a handful of peanut butter down the middle of her face.  
**

"**Oh, that is just wrong." She giggled.  
**

**Jason grabbed her by her hips and lifted her onto the counter and stood between her legs. He used his tongue to lick some of the goo off her chin and neck.  
**

"**It's not that I am not enjoying what you're doing there, but if your planning on us licking each other clean, I think we will both end up sick. We're covered." She moaned when he bit her gently at her pulse point.  
**

"**You may have a point there." He admitted  
**

"**Come on, you can walk me home, and use my shower. I live closer and I don't want you to get peanut butter all over you expensive car. I can come in early tomorrow and finish up here."  
**

"**You sure?"  
**

"**Yeah. I'm just gonna make sure everything is locked up out front." Sam said as she headed toward the front of the store.  
**

**When she walked back into the kitchen she noticed Jason was holding something in his hand.  
**

"**What's that?" she asked  
**

"**I was just going to ask you that. I found it outside your back door." He explained as he held up a stuffed cat that was identical to the one she had received a week ago.  
**

**Sam felt a chill go down her spine, but she tried to conceal her fear in front of Jason.  
**

"**Hmm. Weird. It's not mine, maybe some kid dropped it while cutting through the ally." She said trying her best to sound calm.  
**

**Her fear didn't go unnoticed by Jason. He was trying to figure out why a stuff cat would affect Sam the way that it was, but he didn't know exactly how to handle the situation. He figured maybe he should talk to Ruthie and see if there was something he should know about that Sam wasn't telling him.  
**

"**Maybe. You ready?" he asked changing the subject.  
**

"**Yup, lets go." She grabbed the stuffed cat and tossed it in the dumpster as the walked toward her apartment.**

**When they arrived at her place, she offered him the shower first. She gave him towels and told him to make himself at home. He thanked her and entered the bathroom.  
**

**Sam sat at her kitchen table trying to shake off thoughts of that stupid cat.  
**

**She focused her attention on the sound of the shower. Jason was in there. He was naked. And wet. That was a good place for her thoughts to go.  
**

**They went to an even naughtier place when she heard the water shut off. She could just step into the bathroom. She doubted that he locked the door. That wasn't Jason Trusting Morgan's style.  
**

**She found herself wandering down the hallway.  
**

**But then again barging in on a man in the bathroom wasn't exactly her style. At least it hadn't been in the past. She usually let the men do the chasing. They chased, she sort of ran, eventually they caught her, and then the sex was so-so.  
**

**With Jason, the sex was phenomenal. Both physically and emotional satisfying. Even the quickies.  
**

**Just thinking about what they got done when they really had time to work in it, made her warm inside.  
**

**The bathroom door opened.  
**

**Jason was wearing nothing but a white towel around his waist. Nothing else, but a few water droplets running down his chest. His hair wet and sticking up, and his fingers smoothed over it as he came to a sudden stop.  
**

"**Oh, sorry. I forgot that I don't have any clean clothes."  
**

"**Uh-huh." Jason was a really bad liar. She had the sudden feeling that his little stroll out into the hallway looking like a woman's wet dream was no accident. She crossed her arms over her chest. Stupid traitorous nipples. She was going to tape the damn things down if they didn't start to behave themselves. **

"**You did this on purpose didn't you?"  
**

"**Did what?" He widen his eyes. "I'm sorry if I am keeping you waiting, but I really needed a shower. Your fault by the way." He added like she had no clue that her stunt with the peanut butter was the reason he needed to clean up.  
**

"**I'm going to call Milo and have him drop off some clothes for me. If you want to grab a shower, then we can leave for dinner." Jason's arm reached right past hers and his damp skin brushed hers. "Excuse me."  
**

"**What?" he was invading her space, again, and he smelled like soap and Jason.  
**

"**I was just trying to get by you. But I can't, your sort of standing in the way.  
**

"**Right." Sam meant to move, but somehow her feet didn't do anything. They were like Switzerland, determined to be independent.  
**

"**Unless you don't want to go to dinner." Jason leaned closer to her. A drop form his hair landed on her arm and rolled. He picked up her hand and sucked the water droplet off her wrist. "Do you want to go to dinner?"  
**

**There were so many ways to answer that question. Most would be lies. She didn't want to go to dinner. She had no interest in sitting in some stuffy restaurant trying not to picture Jason standing in her hallway in nothing but a towel. She had no interest in pretending she was hungry for anything but him.  
**

**And lastly, she had no idea how she was supposed to walk away from a naked Jason.  
**

"**I …" she cleared her throat.  
**

**Jason's hands stroked across her waist played with the fabric of her shirt. His lips brushed across the top of her head. "Let's stay in tonight. Forget about dinner and everything else … just let me hold you. Let me love you, right here, right now."  
**

"**Did you just say lo…" Sam couldn't stop thinking about what he just said about loving her.  
**

"**Don't think, sweetheart. Just feel."  
**

**He kissed her, and she couldn't resist. Didn't try. His hands were gentle, his mouth firm but reserved, waiting for permission. So she gave it to him by throwing her arms around his neck and opening her mouth for him.  
**

**She could feel it when she was with Jason. The difference between him and all the other men she had kissed. He loved her. It was there, in the way he held her. It was there in the way he sighed, and in those amazing blue eyes.  
**

"**I don't want to go to dinner."  
**

**Jason paused for a second, his lips on Sam's neck. **

"**Good."  
**

**He breathed in the scent of her, a soft fruity smell mixed with peanut butter.  
**

**Pushing the straps of her shirt off of her shoulders, ****he traced the line of her collarbone with his lips, going lower and lower until he reached her breasts. The shirt was stretchy, and he skimmed in down over her, happy to see she wasn't wearing a bra.**

**Jason loved Sam's breasts, the way they were perfect round globes with tight cherry nipples on top. He had never really gone for chesty woman, always feeling a bit startled by them. They were distracting and generally speaking woman wanted a man to do something with their breast besides just gawk at them.  
**

**With Sam that wasn't easy to do, she had so many soft edges for him to grab onto, but her breast just begged to be touched.  
**

**He pulled one taut nipple into his mouth and rolled his tongue over it. She gave a soft little cry that went straight to his groin. Using his thumb, he stroked one nipple while he sucked the other, feeling desire heating up every inch of his body from the inside out.  
**

**Pushing his damp hair off his forehead, he pulled back. Her skin was dewy from his tongue and hair, and she had pink splotches where his stubble had chafed. He wanted to look at her, to savor her, to prolong the night when he told her he loved her.  
**

**Sam reached up and tugged at his towel. "You don't need this, do you?"  
**

"**Nope." He was surprised steam didn't come out of there when she opened the towel. He was feeling pretty damn hot and humid.  
**

**With the flick of her wrist, she tossed it to the floor. **

"**There. Now you should probably take my clothes off too." She gave him a saucy smile. "I don't want to wrinkle my shirt."  
**

"**I wouldn't dream of wrinkling your shirt." Jason reached for her, but she turned around. "Where are you going? Let me take it off for you."  
**

"**There's a zipper in the back." Hands braced on the wall, she tipped her head over her shoulder. "See?"  
**

**The position brought to mind all kinds of interesting thoughts, and Jason went for the zipper with trembling hands and a dry mouth. He wasn't sure if it was the quality of the shirt, or the force of his jerk, but the zipper went down smoothly in one clean motion and dropped to her waist. He then trailed his hands around toward her stomach and unbuttoned her pants.  
**

**Jason ran his hands over her waist, under the fabric, and gave the pants a push. They fell to the floor, and he almost went blind.  
**

"**Holy shit."  
**

**It wasn't the back of panties staring at him. It was the string of a thong, surrounded on both sides by her creamy tight ass. "Oh, honey, that is a beautiful thing."  
**

**Sam gave a throaty laugh and stepped out of her pants. But stayed facing the wall, which gave him the opportunity to stick a hand on either side of that thong and squeeze. "You did that on purpose," he whispered, skimming his thumbs over the curve of her cheeks.  
**

"**Who, me?" Her breath caught when he moved his hands around to the front of her panties and cupped her.  
**

**His erection pressed against her ass, and he gave a little thrust, her warm skin giving a little under the pressure. "Yes, you. Now let's get that shirt off of you."  
**

**Pulling her hands farther up, until they were over her head but still pressed against the wall, Jason took the bottom of her shirt and tugged up. It caught a little on her breasts, they gave a little bounce. In the blink of an eye, he had Sam naked except for the scrap of black lace and her shoes. The rest of her was gloriously bare, and pinned against the wall, ass pointed enticingly toward him.  
**

"**Turn around," he said, determined to go slow, no matter what his body thought about pushing that lace string aside and sinking inside her.  
**

**She didn't turn or pirouette, but sort of rolled herself across the wall until she was facing him, her arms still over her head. One knee bent a little and her chest rose and fell as she gave hard, urgent breaths. Then she licked her lips, slowly, wetting from one side to the other.  
**

**Jason forgot slow. He closed the space between them and sucked that pouty bottom lip into his mouth, his body colliding with hers and shoving them both back against the wall. He kissed her hard, his hands grinding her against him. A rational part of him thought that may he was being too rough, but Sam gave a low moan.  
**

"**You're so hard, it feels so good." She whispered.  
**

**Her eyes were glazed, her cheeks flushed, her lips shiny, the stickiness of the peanut butter smeared over both their mouths.  
**

"**Come here," Jason said, wanting to get her in the bedroom before he took her against the wall.  
**

**Not that there was anything wrong with that.  
**

**But he wanted more. He wanted slow. He wanted to taste her, right between her thighs, sinking his tongue inside her while she squirmed.  
**

**To speed things up, he reached around her waist and thighs and picked her up.  
**

**She squawked. "Oh my god. You are not picking me up. You can't carry me to be, they only do that on TV."  
**

**The hell he couldn't. Jason adjusted her in his arms and tilted her so she tumbled against his chest with her amazing breasts. He gave her a soft kiss and turned toward her bedroom door, gripping the knob with a sweaty palm and pushing it open.  
**

"**You are actually carrying me to bed. I cannot believe this is happening. I think I might come just from this."  
**

**Though he felt a little bewildered by her reaction, he also found the look on her face damn sexy. "You can come if you want, but it might be more fun to wait until my tongue is on you."  
**

**Jason walked toward the bed as Sam sucked in her breath.  
**

"**Tongue on me where?"  
**

**With a little maneuvering, he managed to get a finger between her thighs and press right against the front of her panties.  
**

"**Right here."  
**

"**I can wait then."  
**

**He laughed and plunked her down on her butt on the bed. Sam didn't hesitate, but lay back and let her knees fall apart. Jason crawled up between her legs and played with the strings on her black lace and his mouth flooded with moisture in anticipation of tasting her.  
**

**Her ankles moved restlessly against the bed. "Just rip the panties. Get them off, please."  
**

**It was tempting, but he hesitated. "Do you have any idea how incredibly sexy these are?"  
**

**No ripping today. "I need to see these again, so we'll just slide them down, nice and easy." Jason worked the panties down inch by inch, leaning over her as he spoke, his mouth so close to her flesh he could see the goose bumps rising, smell the sweet scent of her desire.  
**

**It was pretty obvious to Jason that up to this point, neither of them had even known was sex could be like. It was like watching black-and-white TV and suddenly being plunged into color. When Sam squirmed and wiggled, reaching for him with trembling fingers, soft desperate moans falling out with each breath, Jason's body tensed with excited arousal. He had never felt this sort of passion, this power, this heady delight in pleasing another person.  
**

**Then he ditched her panties, grabbed her ankles, and spread her nice and wide. Sam jerked on the bed, but she didn't say anything. Her eyes were half-closed, and her fingers dug into her sheets. She'd forgotten to make her bed again. She was a beautiful brunette contrast to the lavender sheets.  
**

**Swallowing hard, Jason leaned over the apex of her thighs and ran his palm over her mound. She sucked in her breath, a raspy, harsh sound that collapsed into a sigh when his finger slip along the center of her and slipped between her folds. He sank into her wet heat.  
**

**Jason paused, his erection throbbing against the bed, and counted to three. He was in control. Sort of. "You like that?" He pulled back, swirling his finger over her clit before sinking in again.  
**

"**Yes." She bit her lip.  
**

"**How about this?" He placed his finger with his tongue, closing his eyes as the taste of her exploded in his mouth. She was slick, sweet, her body quivering around him, thighs drifting closed to clamp around his head.  
**

"**Jason … "she groaned.  
**

**He'd never like his name, but hearing it ripped from Sam in complete ecstasy gave him a whole new appreciation for it. He wanted to hear it again. He stroked in and out of her with his tongue, over and over, faster and deeper. Then he pulled back quickly and gave a quick lick and suck at her clit.  
**

"**Jason!" she dug her fingers in his hair and came, half rising off the bed.  
**

**He hung on, even when she kneed him in the gut with her thrashing legs, and ran his tongue over her until the last of her spasms quieted. She flopped onto her back and shuddered.  
**

"**Oh, yeah."  
**

**Hell yeah.  
**

**But he wasn't about to give her time to relax or even catch her breath. Slowly, stealthily, he brought a finer to her again, tickling around her inner thigh, whisking around and around but never actually touching inside her.  
**

"**Stop that," she said, pushing his hand. "You're teasing me." Her mound rose toward him, her thighs clamping together like she wanted to catch his hand and hold it there. "I want you inside me."  
**

"**No."  
**

**Her eyes popped open. "What do you mean, no?"  
**

"**Not yet," he said calmly, opening her folds with his thumbs and stoking once down the center of her before letting go.  
**

"**Okay, maybe this is a stupid question … but why the hell not yet?" Sam looked a touch frustrated. If the clenched teeth and wild eyes were any indication.  
**

**But Jason didn't like to rush anything. He'd rushed through making love to Sam almost every other time, and he was going to take things nice and slow. HE was going to drag the pleasure out like chewing gum, long and taut.  
**

"**Because I want to do that again."  
**

"**That again?" she said glancing from his mouth, her thighs trying to push close as she yelped in surprise. **

"**Nobody does that twice in a row … and there must be a good reason why. I don't think you should…"  
**

**Jason did a brief battle with her thighs, which he won. She wasn't really putting that much effort into it, and he was bigger than her. Once they were spread, he planted his elbows on them so she couldn't move, her protests spiraling into moans.  
**

"**I want to do it again."  
**

"**Okay, okay, fine, do it again. I don't want you to cry about it or anything…"  
**

**Her trembling sarcasm dwindled out when he did it again.  
**

**Put his mouth on her and tasted her.**

**Sam lasted a whole delicious five minutes before she came the second time.  
**

**And she was pretty sure she only begged and whimpered once or twice.  
**

**When her body stopped convulsing and her pupils returned to their normal position, she let go of the comforter, and wiped the drool off the corner of her mouth. "Okay, so I don't know why people don't do that twice in a row … of course, maybe they do and I don't know… that was amazing."  
**

**Sam yelped when Jason gripped her thighs and rolled her over onto him. Her moist inner thighs colliding with his chest, and her breasts dangled over his forehead. "What the….?"  
**

**Bust before she could even stabilize, he yanked her thighs toward the headboard, sending her chest flying back until she was … oh.  
**

"**Again." He said  
**

**The man had baked his brains in sun too long. She could not just sit there on his mouth, not when she could barley feel her jell-o legs and her lungs had collapsed somewhere on about the nine-hundredth moan.  
**

"**I…I…" she was trying to protest, but her lips were numb and her tongue was six sizes too big. And damn, damn, to felt so good. It felt inside-out, hands-on, hot-damn kind of good, and she closed her eyes, arched her back, and rode his mouth.  
**

**When she came the third time – a sexual milestone marked with panting and incoherent religious babblings like, "Help me, Jesus!" – Jason took pity on her.  
**

**In a move that would have made a yoga instructor jealous, Jason had her dropped on to her back and was rolling on a condom before she could even swallow her spit. Nor did he expect her to untangle her trembling, useless legs, but just took it upon himself to spread them with his knees. And while Sam tried to keep her eyes open and her heart from levitating out of her chest, Jason entered her with a hard thrust.  
**

**His groan was loud, agonized. Sam had no ability left to moan, and no energy to even wrap her legs around him as he stroked in and out of her. Her body was so swollen, so excited, so over stimulated, that she was absolutely certain she'd never be able to walk again. She was just going to lie there for the rest of her life with Jason deep inside her.  
**

**Looking up at his face, seeing his excitement, hearing his wild out-of-control bursts of pleasure, she figured it was a good use of her time. And what a plus that she was enjoying it too – so, so much.  
**

**Then he pulled completely out, and she yelped with surprise and horror. "What? What are you doing?" Oh, my god, she felt like a kid whose ice cream had fallen off the cone.  
**

"**I'm too close, too close." He panted.  
**

"**So?" she pried a hair off her lip and tried to uncross her eyes.  
**

"**I want you to be satisfied before I do." Sweat rolled down off his forehead toward his nose.  
**

**Sam reached up and wiped it away, very much aware that she was looking at the best man she'd ever known. Her voice a hoarse whisper.**

"**In case you hadn't noticed, Mr. Unselfish, I already was satisfied three times. Now get back in there."  
**

**He kissed her. "I love you."  
**

**Sam gripped his shoulders right as he joined them again, and she felt the tears prick, blurring her view of his strong steady expression. He loved her, and she had done nothing to earn it. But maybe that was the gift of pure love – no one had to justify it or explain or perform tricks to deserve it. It just was.  
**

"**I love you, Jason." Sam found the strength to wrap her legs around him, to lift herself toward him and meet his movements so they were joined as tightly as they could be. **

"**I … I…" Had lost the ability to talk. But she wanted to say that she never wanted to lose him, that she wanted to stay right there, with him, for as long as he wanted her.  
**

**But nothing came out, and he covered her mouth with his, hot tongue pushing into her urgently. Then he lifted his head and stared straight into her eyes as he exploded with tight, raw moans.  
**

**No man had ever locked wide-open eyes with her while he came, and the intimacy, the vulnerability of it, sent her body into a shivering spasms, a climax to match his.  
**

**They thrust, locked in pleasure with each other, until Jason relaxed all his muscles with a shudder and dropped down onto her. He was crushing the very life out of her, bit she was so limp, so satiated, she didn't care if she suffocated. She would die happy.  
**

**But he lifted his chest and dusted little kisses all over her mouth, her cheeks, her nose, her forehead in a way that mad her giggle. Truly. Giggling. It was weird, but there it was, and Jason laughed with her.  
**

"**Why are we laughing?" he asked.  
**

"**I don't know. But I just feel so good, so alive, so exhausted."  
**

**Jason rolled onto his back and pulled her on top of him. Naked man was such a nice, warm, hard bed.  
**

**Sam yawned. "You wore me out, and I didn't even do any of the work."  
**

**He gave a soft chuckle. "I'm used to manual labor."  
**

**"You're very good at it."  
**

**Jason patted her butt. "You're not so bad yourself. Now go to sleep."  
**

"**Okay." He didn't have to tell her twice. She was semi-conscious already.  
**

**As Jason's hand stroked the small of her back, she drifted off into sleep with a contentment she hadn't felt her entire life.**

* * *

**Jason woke up just like he always did, when the sun started creeping through the blinds on the window, and Jason woke at dawn every day alone.**

**His life had a pattern, a familiar one, that he liked, but an empty bed wouldn't be something he would miss.  
**

**She was still sleeping, her hair falling in her eyes, mouth open a bit. No snoring, just soft, soundless breaths in and out, her eyelids twitching like she was dreaming. Sometime during the night, she had slid off of him, but she was still tucked up against his hip.  
**

**Her fingers splayed over his stomach, and he liked that they fit together so well, that making love to Sam was exciting and easy and intimate, with no awkwardness between them.  
**

**His fingers lightly caressed the bare skin of her back until they reached the scar that Jason had seen the other evening in his kitchen. He traced the edges with his fingers wondering what had happened to her. Wondered if she would tell him about it. Wondered if he should ask.  
**

**He felt her start to stir beside him. "Good morning." He kissed the top of her head, hoping she'd wake up, but not willing to really shake her awake. That would be selfish, though he was sorely tempted.  
**

**Fortunately, she gave a little mewing sound. "Morning." **

**Her eyes opened and she smiled up at him, nuzzling into his chest. "Did I really do what I think I did in the middle of the night? Or was that just a really hot dream?"  
**

**Jason had woken her up at about 2am and was pleasantly surprised when she took him in her mouth. He was happy to comply and nearly ripped her sheets in the process. "No dream, princess. And after that, I might have to promote you to queen. You were amazing."  
**

**It had him hard all over again, just thinking about it.  
**

**Sam grinned. "Glad you liked it." Her hand started roaming south. "And let's see … we've already established that your Mr. Honest and Mr. Unselfish. Last night showed you were Mr. Exciting too."  
**

**She found him and squeezed the length of him in her hand. Jason bit back a moan. "Now you're clearly Mr. Dependable."  
**

**He was more like Mr. Full of Regret. "I hate to say this, but I think we both have to get to work. I am supposed to meet Sonny in 30 minutes, and it's a 20 minute drive to his place."  
**

**It burned in him, the urge to blow off his responsibilities and stay wrapped up in Sam for the rest of the morning. But that wasn't him. He had made commitments. He had a job to do, and he couldn't change who he was in the core of him.  
**

"**Yeah, your right. I ran into Ruthie in the hall last night, and she said she would open up for me, but I should really get down there and help her out." She said pulling her hand away. "But I expect compensation tonight."  
**

**Jason sat up and studied her. She didn't look like a woman with a haunted past. She looked happy. Carefree. Sexy.  
**

**It was reassuring enough that he was able to get out of bed and throw on some pants, and give her a kiss good-bye. He walked into the bathroom, and then met her in the kitchen.  
**

**She was wearing his shirt and looked sexy and rumpled. He was starving, having skipped dinner the night before for more pressing physical needs.  
**

**She must have read his mind, because she tossed him a breakfast bar.  
**

"**Thanks."  
**

**She already had the bag of coffee out and was dumping what looked like a hell of a lot of grounds into the machine. Filling the pot with water from the sink, she asked. "What time do you think you'll be done with Sonny?"  
**

"**It's hard to say, not like I really punch a clock. I'll call you though. I still owe you dinner." He smirked. "Uh, Sam, I'm gonna need my shirt back."  
**

"**Oh, of course." She pulled the hem of the shirt over her head, reveling that she wasn't wearing anything under it.  
**

"**God, are you trying to get me fired." He said adjusting his now too tight jeans.  
**

"**You asked for it.****"**** She said turning her attention back to the coffee pot. She turned it on, twisting the pot a little to make sure it was lined up. There it was again, that damn scar. Jason knew he shouldn****'****t bring it up but before he could stop himself his hand had reached up and gently touched it. He felt her tense up at his touch.  
**

**She quickly turned around and leaned against the counter. ****"****So where are you taking me.****"**** She said looking at her feet.  
**

**Jason placed his hand under her chin and forced her to meet his eyes. ****"****Do you trust me?****"****  
**

"**Of course.****"****  
**

"**Good, then I just want you to know that I am here for you. Whenever you****'****re ready. I meant what I said last night Sam. I love you.****"****  
**

**Sam bit her lip uncomfortable with how completely naked she felt. And not just because she was naked, but because Jason seemed to be able to see everything about her. Even the things she tried to hide.****  
**

**He cupped her cheek with his hand, and drew her lip from between her teeth with his thumb. She just nodded her head. He placed a kiss into her hair and walked toward the door. **

**He didn****'****t want to push, he could tell she was struggling. As he opened the door he heard he say barley above a whisper.  
**

"**I love you too.****"****  
**

**He smiled at her. ****"****Go put some clothes on beautiful, I****'****ll see you later****.**


	9. Chapter 9

**"Sam! Come on, I told them that we would be there by 7:00." Jason yelled up the stairs. Sam had been upstairs getting ready for the last hour and a half. Jason didn't understand, it never took Sam this long to get ready. It was actually one of the things he liked about her. She was absolutely beautiful and she didn't even have to try.**

**He heard footsteps on the stairs and as he turned around to see her she took his breath away. She was wearing a halter style red and black dress that hung just above her knees, it had a scarf style belt that accentuated her tiny waist. She had her hair down with soft curls. She looked stunning.**

**"You look incredible." **

**"Thank you. But I was thinking that maybe we shouldn't go." she said.**

**"Why? Sam they jus want to get to know you. It's going to be fine." Jason promised.**

**"Jason they do not want to 'just get to know me'. They, and by they I mean Carly, want to interrogate me to make sure that I am good enough for you." Sam said as she walked past Jason toward the kitchen.**

**"I already told you that I only agreed to go because Carly promised that she would behave. She knows how much you mean to me. And even though most of the time Carly drives me crazy, she is one of my best friends, it would be a lot to me if you try to get to know her too." Jason asked while he played with her fingers.**

**"Fine! I will go, and I will be nice but only because I love you. And I am not making any guarantees that this is going to play out the way you expect it to." **

**"When it comes to the women in my life, things rarely go the way that I expect them too. Thank you!" he said as he leaned down and place a strong kiss against her lips. "And I love you too."**

**"Well, lets get this show on the road!" Sam said as she walked out the door and across the hall. **

**Things started out decent enough. When they arrived Sonny offered them wine while they waited for dinner to be ready. The foursome sat around and made small talk. They talked about Sam's bakery. They talked about Michael and Morgan. Sonny explained that he also had a daughter named Kristina with a woman named Alexis. She apparently used to be Jason and Sonny's lawyer until she started sleeping with the client. Sonny didn't go into to many details which Sam thought was a wise decision judging by the fact that Carly's entire demeanor changed when the subject was brought up. Obviously the blonde still had some issues with her husband's inability to keep it in his pants. Jason also seemed to pick up on the tension and changed the subject back to something that Carly would enjoy. Michael. Sam was telling them how great he had been over the last week, and that they should be proud that they raised such a great kid. It was the only thing Sam had said all evening that she actually meant. **

**Dinner was relatively quite. Sonny had made some pasta with shrimp and vegetables. It was actually really good, Sam was impressed. Sonny didn't seem like the kind of guy that could cook. **

**Sonny and Jason had gone upstairs to talk about business and left the girls alone hoping that they would get along.**

**As Jason turned to walk upstairs he leaned down and whispered in Sam's ear "Be nice." and he sealed his request with a kiss just below her ear. It sent shivers down her spine, and she was yet again reminded of the effect the man had on her.**

**And that was when it happened. The other shoe finally dropped and the moment that Sam had been anticipating all night arrived.**

**"So, Sam what is it that you are expecting from this relationship with Jason?" Carly asked**

**"I'm not really sure that I understand the question." Sam asked slightly confused**

**"Come on, your a smart girl. I want to know if you are looking to take advantage of my friend." **

**"Look Carly, I get that you are looking out for Jason because he is your friend and that is what friends do. I can also tell that you don't really like me, which is understandable seeing how you know nothing about me. So despite the fact that you are talking down to me right now, which I don't really appreciate, I am going to answer your question. I have absolutely no agenda with Jason, I am in love with him." Sam said trying her hardest to be polite while still letting this woman know that she would not be disrespected.**

**"You love him? You barely know him. You met him what? A month ago, that is pretty quick to fall in love, don't you think? Carly asked and then took a sip of her wine.**

**"You're right, I only met him a month ago, but that doesn't mean anything, at least not to me. Jason is an amazing man, he is kind and smart, and he is patient and thoughtful. He makes me laugh when I want to cry and he accepts me for who I am faults and all. I have never met anyone like him in my entire life, and yes I love him." Sam said with a lump in her throat. **

**The older woman looked at her like she was trying to read a poker face, trying to decide if she was lying. She didn't want to believe this woman, but she had to admit all the things that she just said were all the reasons that she loved Jason. She still had questions though, and she figured she might as well get it all out now.**

**"I guess the only way for me to get to know you is for you to tell me about yourself. Where are you from? What things are you into? What do you parents do?" She asked with a smirk.**

**"I was born in Boston, but I moved around with my dad a lot. I guess the only place I ever really considered home was Chicago. I like to bake, and spend time with my brother. And my dad took off when I was 16 and I haven't seen him since. Didn't know anything about my mother till after my dad ran off, and when I did meet her I realized that I was better off without her. Anything else?" Sam answered honestly but didn't conceal her irritation with the woman.**

**""Wow, it sounds like you have quite the colorful past. Seeing how you seem to be very close two of the most important people in my life, Jason and Michael, I think I have a right to know if there are any other skeletons in that closet of yours."**

**Sam had about enough, she was trying to be civil for Jason but this woman just wouldn't give it up. "I don't know who the hell you think you are. Okay, I know that you and your family are important to Jason, you guys are his family, and I respect that relationship more that you seem to be able to comprehend. Now I need to make something perfectly clear you have no right to question me about my life. If you don't feel comfortable having your son around me that is your choice, but I do not owe you a god damn thing." Sam said as she stood up from the table and reclaimed her seat on the couch. She sat there with her arms crossed over her chest which was rising and falling rapidly. She wanted to storm out of the penthouse but she really didn't want to ruin this night for Jason, she would let Carly be the bad guy. Sam watched as **

**Carly got up and walked into the kitchen without a word.**

**About ten minutes later Jason and Sonny made their way back downstairs. Jason immediately noticed Sam's posture and Carly's absence, and he knew that something had happened between the two women.**

**He walked over and took the seat next to Sam on the couch.**

**"So, what's going on? You look like you're a little upset." Jason probed.**

**"Nope. I am great. Just waiting for desert so that we can go." Sam said not really trying to hide her irritation.**

**"Sam, come on. I know you, what did Carly do?" **

**"It's not worth getting into Jason. Just let it go and try to enjoy the rest of this evening." she gave him a small smile.**

**Jason could hear Carly and Sonny's conversation getting louder and louder. It was to the point that he could clearly make out what they were saying. And if he could hear them, then so could Sam. **

**This was not going to end well.**

**"Carly, I know that you mean well, but it is none of your business." Sonny said**

**"None of my business. It is completely my business when some strange woman is trying to take advantage of my best friend." Carly cried.**

**"Jason is a grown man, he can take care of himself." sonny continued.**

**Jason didn't know what to do. He knew that he should go in there and tell Carly to stop, but he was afraid that would escalate the situation. He could literally feel Sam start to shake next to him, so he grabbed her hand and started tracing small circles over her knuckles hoping to calm her down and let her know that he was on her side.**

**"Sonny, she is not good enough for him. I really think that she is just using him. Plus I know that he still hasn't really let go of Courtney."**

**"Carly," sonny warned.**

**"I get that he is attracted to her, she is beautiful, but she using that. She is a slut and a user and I refuse to let her hurt Jason."**

**That was the last straw. Jason and Sam both jumped up from the couch at the same time and headed toward the kitchen. Sam had the inside track to the kitchen and she was moving fast, Jason really wanted to get in there first to prevent anything from happening.**

**"Okay, this is how this is going to go down. You are going to shut your big fucking mouth. You don't know shit about me or what I feel for Jason. I tried to be nice to you, for Jason, but you are just determined to dislike me. I realize that the thought of Jason caring about someone other than you and your family scares you but that does not entitle you push me out of his life. You do not have a monopoly on his attention, his heart or his life..." Carly interrupted her.**

**"You do not yell at me in my house, you are nothing but a trashy, whore and I will not allow you get you filthy..." **

**Before Carly could finish her sentence Sam had thrown an entire glass of red wine in the woman's face. Carly stood there completely shocked, and pissed.**

**"You may have been able to insult, disrespect, and look down your nose at the other woman in Jason's life but you will not get away with it with me. You want to hate me that is fine by me, when I see you I will go the other way, but if I hear you say one more thing about me not even the almighty Jason Morgan will be able to stop me from kicking your ass." with that Sam turned on her heels and stormed out of the kitchen. **

**Seconds later Jason heard the front door slam shut.**

**"Oh my god, I cannot believe that bitch just did that. And you," Carly said pointing at Jason, "you just stood there and let her."**

**"What did you expect? You were insulting her for no reason. You don't know anything about her yet you assume that she's a bad person. Not to mention the fact that you insult my intelligence when you go on and on about how she is using me. Clearly you don't think that I am smart enough to take care of myself. Carly I love you, but you were out of line and you deserved everything that you got." Jason said shaking his had as he walked off to go find Sam.**

**Sonny held out a dishrag to his wife, which she snatched out of his hand and stated to dry herself off.**

**"You got to give her credit, she defiantly told you where to go." sonny chuckled. **

**Carly just rolled her eyes and continued to clean herself up. Sonny walked past her and gave her a kiss on the cheek then left the room leaving her alone with her thoughts. **

**She had to admit that Sonny had a point. Jason had a few woman in his life over the years and not one of them every dared to go toe to toe with her. Maybe that was why she felt so insecure about Jason being with Sam. Carly knew that she could always push her way into Jason's life when she needed him because all of the woman he had been with in the past would allow it. She even did it with Courtney, and she was her best friend. Carly didn't want to admit that she saw something in Sam's eyes when she was yelling at her, it was passion and love. Anyone who was willing to fight like that for Jason couldn't be all bad. You had to be a strong woman if you wanted to be with a man like Sonny or Jason, Carly knew that first hand. It seemed like Sam was strong enough to stand beside Jason when things got rough, and isn't that all she ever wanted for her best friend.**

**Oh crap! Sam Mcall did something that no woman in Jason's life had every truly done. She earned Carly's respect. It looked like Carly had an apology to make, and Carly never apologized. **

**Just then she heard a knock on the door. She opened it surprised to see Sam standing there.**

**"Hey." Sam said.**

**"Hi." **

**"I just wanted to come over and say that I am sorry for how I acted. It was rude. I am not saying that you didn't deserve it because you did, and I did mean everything I said. But I know how much Jason's cares about you and I think for his sake we should just try to get along when we around each other." Sam said**

**"Well I will accept you apology on one condition." **

**This woman was unbelievable, here she was trying to be the bigger person and she was still being a bitch, "I can't wait to hear this."**

**"The condition is that you accept my apology as well. You were right, I don't know anything about you and I had no right to say the things that I said. It's just that I get a little over protective when it comes to Jason. He has a big heart and he seems to have a habit of giving it out to people who don't deserve it. He's been hurt before and I just don't want to see it happen again." Carly told her.**

**"It's nice that he has you looking out for him, but maybe you could scale it back a little." Sam replied as she turned to walk away.**

**"I will work on it." Carly was about to close the door when she saw Sam turn back around.**

**"I never really got the chance to answer your question from earlier. You want to know what I want to get out of this relationship, what I want is to be able to give Jason everything that he has given me. I just want to make him as happy as he makes me. This last month has been the best month of my life, for the first time I feel like I am exactly where I am supposed to be, and a large part of that comes from Jason. Listen Carly I swear to you that what I feel for him is real and I would never do anything to hurt him." Sam said with all the emotion that she could find.**

**Sam hadn't seen Jason since she stormed out of Sonny's because instead of going back to Jason's she went and sat in the stairwell to cool off. She knew that Jason would give her space and let her come to him when she was ready, so she wasn't surprised when she opened the door and saw him sitting on his couch drinking a beer.**

**"Hi." she said walking slowly toward him. "So I have to say that I think tonight went extraordinarily well." **

**Jason just looked at her and raised his eyebrows, with a slight smirk.**

**"I mean sure names were called, accusations were thrown along with some wine, but there was no blood shed. Considering that it was Carly and me going at it I have to say that the night was a success." by the time she was finished talking she was standing in between Jason's legs. "You know, I was expecting to hear you say something along the lines of, I told you so." Jason said as he pulled her into his lap, one knee on each side of him. Her arms almost automatically wound around his neck.**

**"Yeah well even though I would love to hear you admit that I was right and you were wrong I won't make you say it. I will just let you make it up to me at a later date and time. You never know when a little leverage will come in handy." Sam said as she leaned in closer and closer.**

**"I think I see a little of that con artist peeking through. It's kinda sexy." He said as he closed the distance between them. She nibbled on his bottom lip a little before he took control of the kiss. It was deep and full of love, and she felt like she was drowning in him. **

**She pulled back and settled her head against his shoulder.**

**"So I went over and apologized to Carly. I told her that she deserved it and I meant every word that I said but it was still rude." Sam admitted.**

**"You didn't have to do that, she was out of line and I told her that. She had no right to say those things about you. I'm sorry" **

**"Did I mention that Carly apologized to me as well? Said that she knows she was wrong but she can't help but be over protective of you. Kinda cute that big bad mob enforcer needs a girl to protect him." Sam teased.**

**"Ha ha. I can't believe that she said she was sorry, Carly never says sorry. Not even to me." He said noticing that Sam was starting to fall asleep. He pushed back the hair that had fallen into her eyes and he just started at her. **

**Jason knew that this night was going to bring more drama then he wanted, and it did. But somewhere in between dinner and Sam throwing wine in Carly's face something happened. Sam and Carly learned they had a lot more in common then either woman would ever admit out loud. They were strong, determined, loyal, independent and loving and both would fight to the death for the people they loved. They were no where close to being friends but they did manage to establish a mutual respect for one another. It made him smile knowing that the two most important woman in his life were taking the first step in forming a friendship that they both needed even it they didn't know it yet.**

**Watching Sam as she slept in his arms he couldn't help but be amazed at how quickly and perfectly she seemed to fit into his life. Relationships had always been a struggle for him, but with Sam it was almost effortless. He had found a peace with her that he had never known before. And now that he had her he knew that he would die before the ever let her go.**

* * *

**The next week seemed to fly by, at least to Sam. She was beyond excited that Danny was going to be coming home for a weekend visit, she missed him more than she thought she would. It had been almost a month since she had last seen her big brother, a record for them, and she couldn't wait till tomorrow. **

**Jason had called in a few favors and got 4 tickets to the Yankee's game on Saturday, he planned on inviting Michael to come along as well. Even though the Yankee's weren't playing the Philly's Sam knew that Danny would be ecstatic to go to the game. **

**It was the little things, like getting tickets to a baseball game for her brother, which made Sam realize just how amazing a man Jason was. If she wasn't already in love with him, that act alone would have pushed her over the edge for sure. **

**Sam had spent almost every night this week at Jason's penthouse, and they were getting closer everyday. But she still hadn't been able to talk to him about Nico. She knew that it was killing him to not know what had happened to her, but she just wasn't ready to embark on that conversation. Some nights she would wake up to him gently rubbing the scar that tarnished her back, almost as if he were trying to erase it from her body. She wanted to tell him that she actually appreciated the scar, it was a constant reminder of what can happen when you forget what really matters. As long as she had that scar she would never forget the mistakes that she made, and she hoped that would keep her from making them again. **

**Sam was leaning against the counter at the bakery talking to Michael about this weekend. She found that she really liked having him around. He reminded her a lot of Jason, so much at times it was hard to believe they weren't father and son. **

"**So, how is school going? Did you finish that report you were talking about the other day?" Sam asked as she straightens up the counter.**

"**School is school, you know. And yes, no need to worry I got my report done. You know you better be careful Sam, you starting to sound just like Jason." He said **

"**Hey, I do not." Sam replied as she tossed a towel at Michael's face. "Oh! " Sam yelped when she saw who had walked in the door. She quickly yet discreetly walked toward Michael and pulled him into the kitchen.**

"**Sam, what the hell…" Michael asked.**

"**Watch you mouth, oh god I do sound like Jason. Not the point, guess who just walked in?" Sam said wiggling her eyebrows.**

**Michael stuck his head out front and there she was, Jordan James. She was beautiful, with long light brown hair that she mostly wore in a ponytail and the most amazing green eyes. Michael had confided in Sam that he had a major thing for the girl who sat next to him in his English class. Sam thought it was sweet when he told her that Jordan was not only beautiful but she was really smart and funny too.**

"**So, what are you doing? Go, go talk to her." Sam encouraged the young man.**

"**No! I can't just go talk to her." He said like the idea of talking to her was the most absurd thing he had ever heard.**

"**What do you mean no? Mikey this is the fourth time this week that girl has been here. I mean I know that my cookies are amazing but come on. She comes in to see you." Sam said pushing him toward the front of the store.**

"**Sam, stop it." He said pushing her back. "She doesn't come in here to see me, she doesn't even know who I am."**

"**Well then why don't you go introduce yourself? You're not doing anyone any favors by hiding back here. Come Michael, you are a great guy any girl would be lucky to have you around." Sam reassured him.**

"**You have to say that, you're like family. Plus I don't even know what to say. I'm not really good with girls, I get all flustered and usually end up saying something stupid." He said looking at his feet.**

"**Okay, then I guess that I am going to have to take matters into my own hands." Sam pat him on the back as she walked past him toward the girl.**

"**SAM! No, wait what are you gonna do? Please don't do this." He begged, but it was useless, Sam was already standing in front of Jordan. All he could do was watch and hope that Sam would completely embarrass him. He couldn't even hear what she was saying, god this is awful he thought.**

"**So, I have noticed you have been in here a lot lately. Seeing how we are a new business I was wondering if you could tell me what about this place makes you want to keep coming back?" Sam asked **

"**Umm, well the cookies are really good. And the coffee here is way better then what they have at Starbucks." The girl answered easily but Sam noticed that as she spoke her eyes drifted toward the door to the kitchen where Michael was currently standing.**

"**Right, cookies and coffee. Got it. Thanks for your help." Sam started to turn and walk away but at the last minute she stopped.**

**She made a hand gesture urging the girl to lean closer so that she could tell her something.**

"**It's just us girls, you can tell me the truth. Do you have a thing for a certain blonde haired boy that works here?" Sam asked**

"**What? Oh you mean Michael? Yeah…I mean no…. I mean that I don't have a thing for him. He sits next to me in English." She said as her cheeks blushed a dark shade of red.**

"**Are you sure? I don't mean to pry or anything, it's just that Mikey is a really great guy and I noticed you checking him out a few times. I was hoping that I could help you out. You seem like a nice girl." Sam said knowing that Michael was going to kill her for this.**

"**Okay, maybe I sorta like him. He's really cute and sweet. Most of the guys at school are totally jerks, but Michael seems different. He always holds the door for me when we go into English. When I heard that he worked here I just thought maybe if I stopped by we could get to know each other better. But I don't think he really likes me. It almost seems like he avoids me sometimes. Is that normal? Do all guys do that?" **

"**Well he's just shy. He actually told me about you the other day. He thinks that you're really smart and funny. He just doesn't know how to approach you. I am going to tell him to get his butt out here and talk to you or I am going to fire him." Sam turned toward the back but then spun back around "Oh and yes, guys do stupid things when they like a girl. I wish I could tell you that they out grow it, but they don't." she smiled and went to find Michael.**

"**Hey, where are you? I know that you are back her Michael Corinthos." Sam said as she walked back and forth threw the kitchen. She finally found him standing in the alley behind the bakery pouting.**

"**I can't believe that you just did that Sam. I thought we were friends. That was so embarrassing." He glared at her.**

"**I'm sorry if I upset you, but you needed a little push and I was happy to give it to you."**

**They both stood there in silence for a minute.**

"**So did she say anything?" he asked **

**Sam couldn't hide the smile that spread across her face, "She said that she likes you. She thinks that you are sweet and she has been coming by here hoping to get to know you better. But you seem to avoid her every time she comes in. So why don't you take a break and buy her a cookie and some coffee."**

**Without saying anything he turned and walked toward Jordan. When he was almost to her he turned back smiled and mouthed the words 'thank you.'**

**Sam was about to head back inside when something on the ground caught her eye. She bent down and looked behind the dumpster and reached her hand out. She tugged on the small soft object until it finally came out. **

**Her heart started racing and she thought she could actually feel the blood drain from her face.**

**It was a stuffed cat. Just like the other two. Sam wasn't stupid, she knew that this was not a coincidence. She had been getting a lot of hang up call on her cell phone since the first stuffed kitten arrived. She ended up changing her number and the calls stopped. But now that there was another one of these stupid fucking kittens, she had to consider that Nico had found her. The thought terrified her. After she testified against him, he swore that he would see her again. **

**She knew that she had to tell Jason about what had happened all those years ago, and what had been happening lately. It dawned on her at that moment that if Nico really was back then it was probably him that trashed the bakery and that meant he had been around for awhile, and that he had been watching her. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Jason's number praying that he would answer.**

"**Hey, I was just thinking about you." He said when he answered.**

"**Do you realize that you say that every time that I call you?" she asked **

"**Yes, it's because I am always thinking about you."**

"**God, that was so cheesy! Your lucky you already have me cause you never would have gotten with a lame line like that." She joked.**

"**I'll have to remember that line is a no go next time I go out trying to pick up woman." **

**He chuckled when he heard her growl on the other end of the phone.**

"**So what's up?" he asked.**

"**Well, I was hoping that you could meet me at the bakery tonight, there are some things that I need to tell you." Her mood instantly changing from fun to serious.**

"**Sounds serious, is everything okay?" his voice was laced with concern.**

"**For now yes, but I need to talk to you to ensure that it stays that way."**

"**Sam, you're scaring me. What's going on?"**

"**Jason this isn't really something that we can do over the phone, just be here at 6:30 and we'll talk about it then. I know telling you not to worry about it is pointless because that's all you are going to do. But know that I love you and I know that we will figure this all out, okay."**

"**I don't like the sound of this at all Sam, I'm just going to come over there now."**

"**Jason we still have customers I won't be able to talk to you now." She explained**

"**Michael is there he can help out we talk." He reasoned**

"**No, Michael is kinda having coffee with this girl from school and I don't want to disrupt him. I'll see you at 6:30 okay. I love you." And she hung up.**

**Jason looked at his phone and knew that something bad was coming. He could feel it. And it scared him to his very core.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sam had decided to close 30 minutes early since the place was empty. She was just locking up the front door when she noticed Michael slowly walking towards her with a huge smile on his face.**

"**Well judging by the smile on your face, I am going to say that coffee with Jordan went good." **

"**Sam, it was so much better than good. She is like the coolest girl ever. She just easy to talk to her, you know?" Michael said.**

"**Oh, Mikey I am so happy for you." Sam said as she hugged him.**

"**Yeah, I asked her out to dinner tomorrow night and she said yes." **

"**Wow, so do you know where you are going to take her?" **

"**No idea. I am really nervous. This is like my first date, I don't really know what I'm doing. I was actually kind of hoping that maybe… you know if your not too busy, maybe you could give me some pointers. I don't want to screw this up." He said obviously embarrassed by the situation.**

"**Mikey, I will help you out any way that I can, but all you need to do is be yourself. I mean she likes you for a reason right?" Sam replied trying to reassure the young man.**

"**Yea I guess. But if something comes up would it be alright if I called you?"**

"**Of course, you can call me anytime for any reason." She said as she pulled him into a hug. Sam was caught off guard by the emotions that were flowing through her. The fact that Michael trusted her meant more to her then he would ever know.**

"**Thanks, Sam, for everything." **

"**Don't mention it, that what friends are for. Now get out of here will you. Go be a teenager." Sam joked as she shooed him from the room. "Wait, just don't do anything that I wouldn't do. Or anything that I would for that matter." **

"**Night Sam, see you tomorrow." He told her as he headed out the back door.**

**Sam finished locking up and was sitting at one of the tables waiting for Jason. She had left him a message letting him know that she had closed up early and that he could come by anytime. She knew that as soon as he got the message he would be headed this way, so she was just waiting.**

**Sam heard a noise coming from the kitchen and she assumed that it was Jason. She got up and headed toward the back but he wasn't there. **

**Strange, she thought.**

**As she turned around to go back to the table where she left her coffee, someone grabbed her from behind. **

"**Did you miss me kitten?" he whispered in her ear. He wrapped his arm around her throat and pulled her roughly against him. "I hope you got my gifts." **

"**Let go of me, now" Sam screamed as she struggled against him. "Just get out of here Nico."**

"**Well that is not the reception that I was hoping for. I mean we have been apart for so long, kitten. Didn't you miss me at all?" he asked.**

**Sam could feel his breath against her neck and it made her sick. She was fighting with everything she had but he was simply stronger than her. Then without warning he spun her around and pinned her against the wall, his hand wrapping around her throat.**

"**You know I worried that while I was away you would let your self go, but you defiantly did not." Nico slurred as he ran his hand over her cheek.**

**Sam turned away from his touch and spit in his face. "You were worried about me? **

**That's strange seeing how the last time we were together you beat me, shot me, and left me for dead, you psychotic pig." Sam choked out the last words as Nico tightened his grip on her throat.**

"**You were trying to leave me, you should have known better. I would rather see you dead then to see you with another man." **

**Sam fought back the tears that were threatening to fall, she didn't want Nico to know how terrified she truly was. She knew all to well what this man was capable of.**

"**What do you want Nico?" Sam pleads to him. She was starting to get light headed, and the thought of passing out and being left at Nico's mercy horrified her. **

"**Well isn't it obvious, I want you kitten." He said with a deadly calm voice. "You know I have seen you with him? I know that you let him put his hands all over your body, a body that belongs to me. You will not allow him to touch you again, if you do, you will regret it." **

"**What do you want from me?" she cried, as her fear escalated.**

"**I want you to look at this picture, kitten." He said as he pulled a photo from his jacket pocket and held it in front of Sam's face.**

**When she was able to focus on the picture what she saw broke her. She could no longer hold in the fear and panic that she felt at that moment.**

"**NOOO! Please, you can't hurt him Nico. He is innocent in all this. I will do whatever you want just please don't hurt my brother." She begged.**

**He finally let go of her and she tumbled to the floor gasping. He stood over her as cried. Fear and guilt taking over. Once again her bad choices were putting Danny in danger. She didn't know much in that moment, but she knew that she would do whatever she had to in order to protect her brother.**

"**Get up kitten, you have some work to do." Nico smiled and the sight of it made her stomach turn.**

"**What are you talking about? What do you want me to do? Where is Danny? Is he okay?" Sam shouted at him.**

"**Settle down kitten. Your brother is fine, and he will stay that way as long as you do as you are told. Do you understand me?" he glared at her waiting for her to respond. **

"**I am getting a little tired of this little dance Nico, just tell me what I have to do to keep my brother safe." She said with a defiant look in her eyes.**

"**Its simple really, I want you away from Jason Morgan. Like I said earlier if he so much as lays a finger on you again your brother will suffer. Do I make myself clear kitten?" **

"**Yes." Sam had no idea how she was going to do this. There was no way that she could break things off with Jason out of the blue without him getting suspicious. She knew that he wouldn't let her just walk away from him not without a reason. **

**Sam started thinking back to when she used to run cons with her dad. She learned at an early age that the quickest way to ruin a relationship was to cheat. Betrayal was hard to swallow no matter who you are, but Sam knew that betrayal was what Jason despised more than anything. She knew what she had to do, but just thinking about it made her heart ache. How could she hurt him after everything that he had done for her? **

"**What time is it?" Sam asked Nico her voice eerily calm.**

"**Almost 6:30, why?" **

"**If you want me away from Jason I need your help." Sam shut herself down. That was the only way that she was going to be able to get through this. She walked toward the counter and started removing her clothes. She started with her shoes. Followed by her top, and then her pants. She was now in her bra and panties, and she hopped up on to the counter. She motioned for Nico to join her. The monster just smiled and obeyed. Sam pulled him between her legs, she had to bite down on the inside of her cheek to stop herself from gagging. **

**Feeling his hands on her skin was nothing less than excruciating. She felt his tongue against her neck and she couldn't stop the whimper that escaped from her lips. She had to do this, for Danny. She would not allow him to be harmed because of her. She would not be able to live with herself if it did. However, she didn't know exactly how she was going to live with herself knowing what she was doing to Jason.**

**All she could do is hope and pray that someday he would find someone who could love him the way he deserved. He deserved better than her, she had diluted herself into thinking that she was good enough for him. But she was wrong. This was Sam Mcall, she was dirty and broken and she ruined everything she touched. **

**Then she heard it. The sound of the back door opening. She knew it was him, she felt it in the pit of her stomach. She wiped the tears from her eyes and grabbed Nico by the back of the head and brought his lips down to hers. She leaned back onto the counter and pulled him on top of her. **

* * *

**Jason got out of his truck and walked quickly toward the back door of the bakery. He hadn't been able to concentrate since he got off the phone with Sam earlier in the day. He had a feeling whatever they had to talk about was going to be painful, but he had faith that they would get through this together.**

**He made his way through the kitchen toward the front of the shop, as he walked through the doorway he felt all the air leave his body. **

**Jason stood frozen at the sight in front of him. Sam, his Sam, was lying half naked on the counter of her bakery while some asshole had his hands all over her. He watched as she arched her back toward this stranger, the same way she did with him. Her eyes were closed, her lips parted and her breath was coming out in shorts gasps. So much of what he was seeing was familiar, how many nights had he been the one running his hands all over her body. **

**He knew that barely any time had passed since he walked in and had his heart ripped out, but it seemed to him as though time stood still. He knew that as long as he lived he would never get the image of the woman he loved more than anyone or anything in the arms of another man out of his mind. He shook his head trying to erase the pictures. Then he heard her.**

"**Oh my god, Jason! What… it's not what it looks like." She said as she jumped off the counter searching the ground for her discarded clothing.**

"**Really? Well then maybe you should explain what it is. Cause from where I'm standing it looks like you were seconds away from fucking this guy." Jason said with no emotion in his voice.**

"**Uh… god, I am so sorry Jason, it just happened. I never thought that it would go this far. I'm sorry Jason." She cried. Sam looked at everywhere except at Jason. She could not bear to see the pain that she was causing him. **

"**It just happened? That's the story you're going with? I expected more from you Sam, I mean all those years you ran cons with your dad, I'm sure you can come up with something better than that." He spat at her.**

"**I'm sorry." **

"**You're sorry? FUCK YOU! You owe me a fucking explanation for what I just walked in on." he screamed.**

**Sam flinched at words he was throwing at her. She pulled her pants back on and slipped her shirt over her head.**

"**When I called you earlier I told you that we needed to talk. I wanted to tell you that I had run into an old friend of mine. This is Nico, we used to date back in Chicago. Um, we started talking and I realized that there were some unresolved feelings there. I planned on telling you when you got here that I needed some time to figure out what was going on between us. Then Nico showed up here, he wanted to see the bakery. I guess one thing just led to another, I never meant to hurt you." Sam said the words with her eyes glued to the floor. She had never lied to Jason before and she was scared that he would be able to see right through her.**

**Jason stared at her as she spoke, didn't blink just listened as she explained why it was so easy for her to blow his life apart. "So were we a lie Sam? Was Carly right about you? Was I just your next mark?" he honestly didn't want to know the answers to those questions because no matter what she said it was going to hurt. **

"**No Jason, we were not a lie. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I know that you won't believe me when I say this, but I do love you Jason. But this is who I am. I make bad choices and I hurt the people that are the closest to me. I thought with you I could be different, be better. You make me want to be better, but in the end I always screw up. I'm sorry that I hurt you but it's probably better that you found out now before we got any deeper." Sam still hadn't been able to look Jason in the eyes. **

"**Before we got any deeper huh? Wow, I thought we were in the same place Sam, but I guess I was wrong. Because as far as I am concerned it doesn't get any deeper than what I feel for you. I thought that I had found the one person who was meant for me, I have never loved anyone the way that I love you Sam. And if you didn't feel the same way you should have fucking told me, because this right here is just cruel. I don't deserve this." Jason emptied his heart out to her, and she couldn't even look him in the eye. **

**It was then that Jason realized that the guy Sam was with was still standing here. He was leaning against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest, and he had a cocky grin on his face. Jason walked toward him and grabbed him by the arm and pushing him toward the door.**

"**Get the fuck out of here, before I kill you." **

"**Sorry, can't do that. I'm not going anywhere without my little kitty over there." He was taunting him and Jason didn't like it one bit. He reached for the gun in his waistband and pointed directly at the guys head.**

"**Did I not make myself clear? Get out, or I will fucking shoot you were you are standing." His tone made it clear that he was not playing games. **

**Nico put his hands up in surrender and started walking toward the door. He approached Sam and leaned in to whisper in her ear "Remember our deal, Danny's life is in your hands." And he kissed her cheek. Sam turned her head away from him and Jason noticed that she wiped viciously at the spot where he had kissed her. **

**Now that Nico was gone, Sam was scared. She knew that if she stayed in this room with Jason any longer he would be figure out that something wasn't quite right.**

"**Jason, you're right you didn't deserve this. You have been so good to me and this is how I repay you. I wish there was something I could say that would make this okay, but we both know that there isn't. So maybe you should just go." Sam's eyes were still locked on the floor. **

**Jason walked toward her and didn't stop until they were practically touching. Sam could feel the heat that was coming off him and she wanted to wrap herself in that warmth and never let go. But her selfishness had gotten her into this situation and now she had to put Danny first. She knew that she would never love anyone the way that she loved Jason and the ache that she felt in her heart would be with her forever.**

"**Look at me." Jason said.**

**Sam didn't, she couldn't.**

"**I said look at me Sam." Sam could tell by the tone in his voice that he was barely holding on right now, but she still kept her head down.**

"**LOOK AT ME, GOD DAMMIT!" he screamed as he took her face in his hands and forced her to meet his eyes.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Sam shivered when she felt Jason's place his hands on either side of her face. She knew what he was doing, if she wouldn't; look at him on her own then he was going to make her.**

"**Sam. I am not leaving this building until you look me in the eyes and explain to me what the fuck is going on with you." Jason tone left no room for argument.**

**Jason dropped his hands back to his sides and waited.**

**It seemed like hours passed by as the two of them stood there. Jason stating at Sam, and Sam staring at the floor. Sam knew that she would not win this battle, **

**Jason would stand there waiting until Christmas if that's what it took. So Sam did the only thing that she could.**

**She closed her eyes as tight as she could and slowly raised her head. She knew that it was childish but she didn't know what else to do. Her entire body was trembling and she started taking deep breaths to calm down. She had to do this no matter how much it hurt, she had to do this for Danny. So she summoned every ounce of strength she had left in her broken body and opened her eyes.**

**Brown eyes met blue eyes. "What do you want me to say Jason?" Sam said barley above a whisper.**

"**Do you love this guy?" Jason had always been the strong one, but in that moment he sounded utterly defeated, and Sam hated herself a little bit more because she knew that it was her fault.**

"**It's complicated." **

"**No! You either love him or you don't." he snapped at her.**

"**No I don't love him." She answered honestly**

"**You wanna hear something fucked up? I was really hoping that you would say yes, because if you don't love him, then whatever it was that I walked in on was just about sex. That means that I just had my heart ripped out of my chest so that you could get off." Jason said. **

**Sam hated how cold his voice sounded. Sam had heard stories about Jason Morgan, the cold blooded killer, but she had never seen that side of him until tonight.**

**Sam took a shaky breath and said "Jason I never expected this to happen, but it did and I can't change that. I can't make the pain go away, and there is nothing that I can say that will make things better. So we should both just walk away." Sam said and she tried to walk past him but he grabber her arm.**

"**It's that easy for you? You can just walk out that door and forget about everything? Sorry Sam but I can't. I need to understand what happened. Please make me understand, and then maybe I will be able to walk away as easily as you." He almost sounded like he was begging.**

"**You think this is easy for me? You think that I don't hate myself for what I did? You think I want you to look at me with such cold eyes? I didn't want any of this, but this is what I got." She yelled at him.**

"**Then why did you do it? I wasn't enough for you? He was better in bed then me? What did I do to deserve this?"**

"**God Jason, you didn't do anything. You are the most amazing man that I have every met. You are everything that I have ever wanted in a man and so much more. I need you to understand that what happened here tonight had nothing to do with you. I know that sounds crazy but its true." She wasn't lying, her little display with Nico was the only way that she could protect her brother.**

**Jason turned his back to her and started walking around the bakery. "Do you remember our first kiss? You had told me about the day that you found Danny. You looked so beautiful that I couldn't have stopped myself if I wanted to." He said as he ran his hands through his hair. "And our first date? You helped with Morgan's present and then we sat here and ate and talked all night. You know something Sam? I think I talk more with you then I have in my entire life." He looked over at her and she was sobbing. Her whole body was shaking as he was reminding her of what she destroyed. **

**Sam was praying that he was done, she couldn't do this. She could not stand here and relive the last month, not after what she had done.**

"**Then there was the peanut butter fight. Do you remember that night Sam?" he asked and she knew he actually wanted and answer this time.  
**

"**Yes." Was all she could manage.**

"**Tell me what happened that night Sam." He demanded.**

"**Why are you doing this Jason? Are you trying to hurt me? Do you want to make me suffer by remembering all the amazing moments we shared, the memories that I stained with my mistake then fine. I deserve it, and if it makes you feel better then fine we will do things your way." Sam could feel her heart breaking a faster with each passing minute. God this was torture of the worse kind. She was forced to break the one thing that meant more to her than anything in the world. But if he needed to do this then she would at least give him that.**

"**The night with the peanut butter that was the first time you ever told me you loved me. And over here," she said as she brushed past him toward one of the tables. "This table here, this is where we sat and talked all night long, we didn't even realize how long we had been talking until we noticed the sun coming up. Oh and over here, "Sam's heart was racing and she was starting to lose it. "Over here is where I found you just last week sneaking macadamia nut brittle because you refused to admit to me that you love it. And right here." She said pointed to the counter top. "Right here is where I let another man touch me. Right here is where I let him take what wasn't his. This counter right here is where I gave another man what you had already claimed as yours"**

**Jason turned his head the other way, he refused to let her hurt him more than she already had. **

"**Right here is where I threw it all away. See Jason I remember it all too. I remember every second that I spent with you. And I know that I trashed it, I know that I ruined everything. And I will spend the rest of my life knowing that isn't that punishment enough? Please tell me what to do to make this better for you." Sam was breathing heavy and she couldn't stop the steady stream of tears that were rolling down her cheeks. She felt like she was falling and she didn't know how to make it stop. "Please Jason tell me what to do, what can I do to make this stop."**

**Jason watched as Sam crumbled before his eyes. She was screaming and sobbing at the same time. It was the most heart wrenching thing that he had every witnessed. She knew that she was wrong. And he knew that she was punishing herself for it. He could call her every name in the book, he could let Carly kick her ass, but he knew that nothing would ever come close to the pain that she would undoubtedly cause herself. It went against every fiber of his being to stand there and watch as the woman he loved fell apart, but he couldn't fix this for her. It just hurt to damn much.**

"**I don't know how to make it stop Sam." He said as he walked past her out the door, and out of her life.**

**When Jason was gone Sam finally gave into the pain that she felt and collapsed on the floor. She pulled her knees to her chest and she let the pain have her. She had no fight left in her. She knew that she would eventually have to pull herself together for Danny and she would. But a part of her was now gone, and she knew that nothing and no one would ever be able to replace it. And truthfully she didn't want to replace it. She would live with this ache in her chest for the rest of her life because it was the only thing she had left of Jason.**

* * *

**It had been a 2 weeks since Jason left Sam broken and crying in her bakery. He couldn't get the images out of his mind. Every time he tried to close his eyes he would see her. He would see her with another man's hands all over her body and it would make him physically sick. He would see her face when he left her there that night, her eyes were so full of pain and there was nothing that he could do about it. It was bad enough having those images burnt into his brain but those weren't the ones that he was running from. It was the good memories that were eating him alive. Seeing her smiling and running around the bakery with a million things to do. Listening to her talk to Danny on the phone, seeing her and Michael sitting on the bench in front of the bakery laughing. Images of her body wrapped around his, remembering how perfect it felt when she was in his arms. **

**Jason didn't know how to do this. At first he just focused on the anger, he embraced it, he understood anger. It was the dull ache that seemed to be coming from somewhere deep inside him that was new. He didn't know what it was or what he could do to make it go away. He wasn't any good at fighting an enemy that he couldn't see. He spoke with Sonny about what happened, explained that he needed to get his head straight before he took on any serious business. Sonny agreed and then he offered his support. Sonny tried to explain that there was no quick fix for heartbreak that you just had to fight through it. He told him that the pain would be there for awhile, but he promised Jason that one day he would wake up and it wouldn't hurt anymore. Jason knew that Sonny was trying to help. He was saying all the things you say when you see a friend in pain. But nothing anyone said helped, nothing seemed to be able to dull the pain. And Jason knew that nothing ever would. Despite how ugly things ended between them, he knew he would always love Sam. And he would miss her for the rest of his life.**

**Jason was pulled from his thoughts by a knock at the door. He got up and was surprised to see Ruthie standing there. **

"**Hi." He said as he stepped aside to allow her entrance.**

"**Hey, sorry to just drop by without calling." Ruthie said wishing that this wasn't so uncomfortable.**

"**It's fine, did you need something?" he asked.**

"**Oh yeah sorry. Umm, I guess Sam left a few things over here and she asked me if I could come by and pick them up for her." Ruthie said with a sad smile.**

**Ruthie was the one that found Sam lying on the floor of what she had called her "dream come true". She had been there for almost 10 hours. Ruthie had seen Sam go through some rough patches but nothing compared to this. Ruthie was the only person that knew the truth about what happened that night. Her heart broke for her best friend, and she was doing everything she could to help her get through this. This was more than a break up, at least not for Sam. Nico had broken Sam years ago and she never recovered from that, and now years later he comes back and breaks her all over again. **

"**Oh. Was she looking for anything specific because she tends to leave her stuff all over the place?" Jason asked**

"**She said something about a book she had been reading. Her ipod, her hair dryer and her paint shirt." **

**Jason felt the lump rise in his throat at the mention of the paint shirt. Sam would wear that filthy shirt all the time and Jason never understood why. Then one night he came home really late and Sam was asleep on his couch wearing that stupid shirt. When he picked her up she opened her eyes and smiled and he finally asked her what was with her and that shirt. She told him that because it belonged to him she felt connected to him when she wore it and that it helped her sleep at night when he wasn't there to hold her. **

**My god, would these memories ever stop intruding on his life. He thought bitterly to himself.**

"**Okay give me two minutes I go get them." He said as he jogged up the stairs.**

**About 10 minutes later Jason came down the stairs carrying a box full of Sam's things. Ruthie saw how much he was hurting neither one of them deserved this. She stood up from the couch and walked toward him. He placed the box in her arms and she quickly looked to make sure everything was there. One uncomfortable encounter with Jason Morgan was enough for her, she didn't want to have to come back because he forgot something.**

"**Thanks, Jason. So how are you doing?" she couldn't help but ask.**

**He shrugged his shoulders and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "It is what it is. Does it hurt yeah, but I'm getting through it." He said.**

**Ruthie didn't have to know the man to see that he was lying through his teeth. This was killing him.**

"**Good, I'm glad. Thanks again." She said as she walked toward the door, she noticed something else in the box. She pulled out the large white envelope with Sam's name on it. She raised her eyebrows at Jason hoping that he would know what this was. Sam had enough to deal with right now without throwing surprise envelopes in to the mix.**

"**Uh…" Jason blew out a breath of air and ran his hands over his face. "When Sam told me about Grace and how much she helped Sam and Danny, I was impressed. There are so few people in the world that do go out of their way to help others. Anyway, I set up a foundation in her name. They provide assistance to young people who lose their way. Help to get them back on track. That's all the information. I wanted Sam to have it." He finished and quickly turned his back to her.**

**Ruthie was speechless, and that was a feat in itself. Jason Morgan was a good man, and he loved Sam the way she deserved. For a moment she thought telling Jason the truth would be the right thing to do. But she promised Sam that she wouldn't, so she kept her mouth shut. At least for now.**

"**Wow, that's amazing Jason. This will mean so much to her. But I'm not really sure this is the best time to give it to her." She said with regret.**

"**How is she?" he asked but kept his back to her.**

"**She's trying to keep it together, mostly for Danny's sake. She's not really as tough as she likes people to think."**

"**Yeah, I know." He stated, who was she to tell him who Sam was. He knew everything about her. Inside and out. "But what does that have to do with the foundation?"**

"**Honestly Jason, Sam is drowning in guilt right now. She hates that she hurt you. I have never seen her like this. And I think that if I give her this paperwork, and she sees that you did this amazing, thoughtful, and heartfelt gift, it's just gonna make her feel worse. Just give her a little time to get her feet back on the ground. Plus I really think that you should be the one to tell her about this." Ruthie said as she handed the envelope back to him**

"**How's Danny doing by the way? We were supposed to go to the Yankee game last weekend, but …"**

"**Danny is worried about his sister, but he trying to be brave for her. You know those two would do anything for each other. Each one is always putting the others needs ahead of their own." Ruthie stared straight into the hit man's eyes when she said the last part. **

"**I know, Sam would do anything for her brother. It's one of the reasons I love … "he voice seemed to fade out at the end.**

"**Well Mr. Morgan, I have already taken up too much of your time, so I am going to get out of your hair."**

"**Alright." He walked her to the door and stood in the doorway while Ruthie waited for the elevator.**

"**Hey Ruthie, thank you. For taking care of her when I couldn't. She's lucky to have you in her life." He said with a smile.**

"**I am actually the lucky one. Sam is the only person in my life that I know will always come through for me. She the kind of person that you can trust to always do the right thing, even if that means destroying herself in the process. But I am pretty sure you already know all of that, right?" Ruthie smiled and the elevator doors closed. **

**Jason stood there thinking about what Ruthie had said and the way she was looking at him when she said it. He couldn't shake the feeling that she was trying to tell him something. Or maybe he just wanted something to hold on to.**

**Jason needed something to keep his mind out of the past so he headed across the hall to talk to Carly. She always had something crazy going on, maybe she needed his help with something, anything that would busy his mind with something other than Sam. **

**He opened the door to his friend's penthouse and was shocked to see Michael making out with some girl on the couch. When the heard the door close the jumped apart and Jason couldn't help but smile.**

"**Hey, what's going on Uncle Jason?" Michael asked**

"**Nothing, what's going on with you?" **

"**Uhh, Jason this is my girlfriend Jordan, Jordan this is my uncle Jason." Michael felt uncomfortable.**

"**Nice to meet you Jordan. Michael can I talk to you for a second in the kitchen?" Jason asked**

"**Sure, I'll be right back" he said to Jordan and he walked towards the kitchen.**

**When they were out of ear shot he asked, "So a girlfriend, when did this happen? "He asked **

"**Uh, we had coffee a few days ago and then I took her out to dinner and I guess she's been my girlfriend since then." Michael explained**

"**This is weird, it's like you're an adult all of a sudden. She's cute. But can you do me a favor? Don't make out with her on your parents couch because if your mom had caught you, you know that would result in a mess that I would have to clean up." He smiled and pat the kid on the back.**

"**Thanks, I really like her. And sorry we will be more careful next time." He said with a smirk. "Oh, you know I have been meaning to call you. I haven't been able to get a hold of Sam the last couple of days. Ruthie said that she was sick and that's why she hasn't been to work. I really need to thank her for all her help with Jordan." **

"**Sam helped you with Jordan?" Jason asked.**

"**Yeah, actually at first I thought that I was going to kill her. I told her that I had a thing for Jordan and when Sam noticed that Jordan had been coming into the bakery a lot she took it upon herself to ask her straight out if she liked me. Then she threatened to fire me if I didn't go buy her a coffee. She didn't tell you about it?" Michael asked confused, Jason and Sam talked about everything.**

**Jason just shook his head. He sorta remembered Sam saying something about Michael and a girl the night his world fell apart. Jordan must be that girl.**

**Michael noticed that Jason seemed upset about something**

"**Jason, you okay man? You kind of zoned out there for a minute."**

"**Yeah, yeah I'm fine, but there is something that I should tell you since you're bound to find out sooner or later. Uh, Sam and I … we aren't together anymore. We ended things Thursday night." **

"**What? Why? What happened? " **

"**You know it's really complicated, and it's nothing that you need to worry about. And I don't want you to feel like you have to pick sides in this. I know how much you like Sam and working at the bakery."**

"**Wow that sucks. Sam is awesome, she was by far my favorite out of all your girlfriends. She so much fun, you know. And she always listens when I want to bitch about my parents or school and she never made me feel bad about." Michael looked up and noticed the pained expression on his uncle face. God he was such an idiot, the guy just broke up with his girl and he's just going on and on about how great she is.**

"**Sorry, I just really like Sam, it sucks that it didn't work out." **

"**Yeah that pretty much sums it up. It sucks. Jason said **

**Jason was headed back home but then out of nowhere he turned around "Michael I need to ask you something. Thursday when you were working with Sam did anything seem off to you?"**

"**Not really. When I came back from my last break she did seem a little, I don't know jumpy. She was in the kitchen and I walked up and touched her shoulder and she jumped like a foot off the ground. Then she kinda snapped at me, said that it was rude to sneak up on people. She apologized like 5 minutes late, said that she just had a lot of stuff on her mind. I asked if everything was okay with her Jason." Michael looked down at his hands **

"**Is there something else Michael?" **

"**Yeah, but I don't want to hurt you anymore."**

"**Just tell me what she said." Jason was getting frustrated.**

"**Well, like I said before I asked her if she was okay, she smiled at me and said that as long as she had you looking out for her she would always be okay. That was the night that you two broke up right? That doesn't make any sense Jason, what could possible have happened in an hour that turned your whole world upside down. **

"**I don't know Michael, but I think it is about time I find out." And Jason was gone.**


	12. Chapter 12

"**Danny, I promise you that I am okay. I'm just sad, and I really miss Jason." She confessed.**

"**Sammy, why don't you just tell him that you're sorry for whatever you did, that way you don't have to be sad anymore." **

**"Oh big brother, I wish it were that simple, but its not. Jason and I are over and I am going to be okay, I swear." She wasn't sure who was trying to convince at that point Danny or herself.**

"**Well just remember that no matter what happens or how many mistakes you make I will always love you Sam." **

"**Hey, when did you get to be so sweet? "She asked**

"**When you found me, Sammy. You showed me that no matter what happened you would always be there for me, and now it's my turn to be there for you." Danny told her**

"**Well I guess were both lucky to have each then huh? So I will see you in two weeks right?"**

"**Right. I can't wait to show you around my school."**

"**I know I can't wait either. I got to go Danny, but I will call you tomorrow okay. I love you.**

"**Love you too Sammy, bye."**

"**Bye."**

**Sam hung up the phone and was suddenly overwhelmed by the desire to crawl under the covers and never come out. Sam knew that she had to do something because if she didn't Ruthie was not above having her committed. **

**So she got up and showered, the first time in three days, and that alone made he feel a little bit better. She got dressed made some coffee and felt like maybe this was possible. She could not ignore the ache she still felt in her chest, the constant reminder that he was gone. But she had to live her life. She finished her coffee and thought a walk through the park sounding therapeutic.**

**An hour later Sam was sitting on the steps off the gazebo in the middle of the park. She thought that it would hurt to see all the couples that were walking by holding hands, laughing, and kissing. But she actually found it comforting to know that love still existed. **

**Sam hadn't heard from Nico since the night at the bakery, but she knew he was still around. Lurking in the shadows like the coward he was. Sam had spoken to the police in Chicago, they told her that Nico had been released 7 months ago, and the police department was unable to locate me and pass on the information. They apologized and said that they would be in contact with the PCPD, they tried to assure her that the police would be there to protect her if Nico became a problem. She also contacted the director at Danny's school, she wanted to make sure they had all the information on Nico that she could find. The school assured her that Danny was safe, and promised if anything seemed off they would contact her immediately.**

**She tried not to think about Nico, which wasn't really that hard to do. He was a monster who seemed to think she belonged to him. Daytime was easier, she could focus on Ruthie and how completely over bearing she was being, or she would spend hours in the kitchen trying out new recipes. But it was inevitable that night would come, and that's where Nico was able to find her, in her dreams. Sometimes he would be standing over her with a gun, while she begged for her life, sometimes she would be holding Danny's lifeless body in her arms while Nico laughed. She would wake up screaming sometimes, needless to say she hadn't been getting a lot of sleep this week, **

"**Hey stranger. Was starting to wonder what happened to you?" Michael sat down next to her on the steps.**

"**Hey Mikey. Yeah I have been under the weather." She lied, she didn't know what Jason had told him and she didn't want to cause anymore problems for him.**

"**Cut the shit Sam, I know that you and Jason broke up. The part I don't get is why?" he looked at her truly perplexed.**

"**First of all, watch your mouth. Second, it's complicated." **

"**Do you even realize that is almost the exact same thing that he said to me? I mean the two of you are perfect for each other. Which one of you screwed up?"**

"**Me, I made a huge mistake and trashed the best that ever happened to me." Sam said a tear ran down her cheek.**

"**Aww Sammy, don't cry. I hate it when girls cry. Come here." He pulled her into his arms and told her over and over that she as going to be okay. He had never seen someone so sad before, her entire body was shaking in his arms. So he did the only thing that made sense to him, he held on to her afraid of what would happen if he let go. Michael realized that whatever went down between Jason and Sam it was messy, ugly and painful. He prayed that there was a way to fix it because if there wasn't he didn't know what would happened to the woman he had grown to love.**

* * *

**Jason wouldn't allow himself to think about that night. He blocked it out in hopes of easing some of the pain. But for the last few hours he couldn't think about anything else. Was there more going on then he was aware of? And if so, what? Jason had hoped that the fresh air would clear his head. But the only thing the park did was remind him of her. Sam was always dragging him through the park for some reason or another. She loved the gazebo that sat in the center of the park, she had told him once that laying in his arms was the most peaceful place she had every been, but the gazebo was defiantly a close second.**

**As he came around the corner he saw her. She was crying in Michael's arms. It tore at his heart to see her in so much pain. He saw how her body trembled and it broke him. It would have been so much easier if he could hate her, but he couldn't no matter how hard he tried. He stood there for a minute before Michael noticed him. **

**Michael slowly pulled away from Sam, and he looked at her. Her eyes were so dull, almost lifeless and he realized that this was more than a breakup. Something else was going on with her, he just hoped Jason would be able to figure out what it was.**

**As Michael stood up, Sam pulled herself together. "I am so sorry Mikey, I didn't mean for you to see me like that. Its just when I think about everything that happened, sometimes it completely overwhelms me. Thank you for sitting with me though, you are very sweet." She smiled at him.**

"**Yeah well I still owe you for helping me with Jordan." **

"**Oh Michael, I totally forgot. So how did the date go?" she asked **

"**It was great. I took her to that little pizza place on Vermont St. "he knew that Sam wanted details, and he took great pleasure in leaving her hanging.**

"**And … come on then what happened. Did you kiss her goodnight, did you guys make plans to see each other again." Sam was bouncing from one foot to the other clearly excited to hear all about it. Michael couldn't help but smile. This was the Sam that he knew, the woman who was bright and full of life. **

"**Yes we made plans to see each other again. We are kind of together now. She's my girlfriend." Michael could not stop the smile that was spreading across his face. "And what makes you think that I am the kind of guy to kiss and tell?"**

"**EEE! I am so happy for you. I had a good feeling about you two. But you make sure she understands that if she ever hurts you she will have to answer to me." Sam teased. **

"**Well it was good to see you, we miss you at the bakery. Ruthie's kind of a bitch when you aren't around, so you need to get back over there. And I know this probably doesn't mean much coming from a 17 year old kid, but Sam if you need anything you can always call me." **

"**Michael that means more to me then you could possibly know. Thank you again for I guess just being there." **

"**Anytime, Sammy." Michael said as he walked off to go meet his girlfriend at Kelly's.**

**Sam walked to the center of the gazebo and just stood there. She used to joke around with Jason, telling him that she found this place almost as peaceful as lying in his arms. But standing here now she didn't feel even the tiniest bit of peace. She was hoping that being here would do something, anything that would ease the aching that she felt deep inside herself. She would do anything for just one moment of peace. **

**She heard someone coming up behind her so she turned around. **

**Jason.**

**She felt her heart clench in her chest when she saw him standing there, watching her. She was not ready for this. It was too soon, she could not stand here with him and not completely lose it. Her head was screaming at her to turn around and run, not walk, but run away. But she couldn't move. It was like she was rooted to this spot.**

**Jason watched Sam as she struggled with this situation. "Sam, we should talk." He said and nodded toward the bench that was opposite them.**

**Sam didn't respond she just walked to the bench and sat down. Jason followed her but opted to stand as opposed to sitting. **

**Sam assumed that the thought of sitting near her probably repulsed him.**

**The truth was he didn't trust himself to be that close to her. If he sat next to her he would have to touch her and he wasn't' ready for that yet. He needed to know the truth about that night.**

"**I need you to tell me the truth about what happened that night even if it hurts, I need you to tell me what happened that night. I have to know why all of this is happening. Please Sam, I am begging you, just tell me what happened so at the very least I can move on with my life." He pleads to her. **

"**Jason, I can't do this. It's too hard. It hurts too much. Knowing the details isn't going to ease any of your pain, it will just make you hate me more and I just can't handle that right now. I know that I am being selfish, but I have to keep it together for Danny, he needs me." She looked up at him and she knew that he wasn't going to let this go. **

"**Just answer me one question Sam, just one and then I won't bother you again." **

"**Okay. What do you want to know?" **

"**I need to know if you wanted him. I need you to tell me if you wanted his hands on your body, his mouth on your neck. Did you Sam? Just tell me the truth, please Sam if I ever meant anything to you, you will tell me the truth." Jason couldn't hold back the tears, he hated thinking about what he had seen that night, but if talking about it brought him the answers he desperately needed then it would be worth it.**

"**You were there Jason, don't you already know the answer to that question?" she hoped he would stop pushing.**

"**I was there and I saw you, but I need to hear you say it. I need to look into your eyes and hear you tell me that you wanted it. I want to know if you begged him to touch you, the way you used to beg me. Did you get goose bumps on the back of your neck when he kissed like you did with me? When his lips touched yours, did your eyelids do that little fluttery thing like when I kissed you? **

"**STOP IT! Just stop, please." Sam could not handle this. She would not let him compare the intimate moments that they had shared with what happened that night with Nico. He was tainting her memories, and it wasn't fair.**

"**Tell me the truth and I will stop. Did you want him Sam?" he asked her again. "Did you want him Sam?" he asked again. He watched as she shook her head from side to side trying not to hear him. He knew that what he was doing was hurting her but he needed the truth, they both did.**

"**Did you want him Sam?" he asked again.**

"**NO! I HATED IT! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR JASON!" she screamed as she flew off the bench. She was now standing directly in front of him looking directly into his eyes for the first time since that night. **

**"You want me to tell you that the feeling his filthy hands all over my body was physically painful. You want me to tell you that when his lips touched mine I had to choke down the bile that rose in the back of my throat. You want to know that when I felt his tongue on my neck it took every ounce of strength that I had not to rip his fucking balls off. Should I tell you that I can't even look at myself in the mirror knowing I allowed that the man that beat me, shot me, and left me to die put his hands all over me." Sam took a deep breath and few steps back, she needed some to put some distance between them. "**

"**So there it is Jason, there's your truth. I hope that it brings your more peace than it's brought me." **

**Sam sank back down on to the bench and puller her knees to her chest. She felt completely drained, physically, mentally, and emotionally. She placed her forehead on her knees and closed her eyes.**

**Jason stood there and stared at her. She looked defenseless and spent. When he approached her earlier he was desperate for answers and he could see it in her eyes that she wasn't going to give him want he wanted. But he knew her, and he knew that if he pushed her hard enough she would stop thinking and just react. He was thought that he was prepared for whatever she had to say, but he was wrong. He knew that she had a painful past, a past that she wasn't ready to share with him yet. He promised her that whenever she was ready he would be there to listen. But it wasn't supposed to be like this. All he ever wanted was for her to open herself up to him, he wanted to prove to her that not everyone you let in will hurt you. In his attempt to get the truth he ended up reaffirmed all of her fears. She let go off all the armor and all the defenses, but not because she trusted him, but because he pushed her into it. God, how could he have not realized, that night, she was so broken, and he selfish assumed it was because she got caught, but now he knew that it was so much more. **

**He wanted to go to her, to pull her into his arms and tell her that he loved her and that he was sorry, that he would spend the rest of his life making it up to her.**

**He slowly walked toward her and squatted so that they were eye level with each other. She still had her head down, he placed his hand on the top of her head. He just wanted her to know that he was there. The moment that he touched her ache that he felt since that night dissipated. **

"**Sam, I'm sorry. Not just for tonight. I'm sorry for everything that you have been through. You are the strongest person that I have ever met Sam, you can get through this. And I will help you anyway you let me." **

**She raised her head and looked at him. "Jason, I'm tired. I'm tired of fighting. I'm tired of crying. I'm tired of having my life torn apart anytime I'm happy." **

**Jason had now rested on her cheek. God, she was beautiful. He would do anything to take away her pain. "I know that your tired baby, so let me help you. Tell me what you need." At that moment if she asked him to leap a tall building in a single bound he would do it.**

"**Do you think that … maybe… um" she wants him to hold her, tell her that everything would be okay. But the thought of him rejecting her was excruciating.**

"**Hey, whatever you need Sam. I promise." The look in his eyes told her more than words every could.**

"**Just hold me, please. Tell me that it's going to okay. That the bad stuff is gone and never coming back." She barley got the words out of her mouth before his arms were wrapped around her. She could feel him pressing kisses to the top of her held and she pulled herself closer to him. He tightened his arms around her in response. He needed her to know that he was there and he wasn't going anywhere. **

**Sam had been secure in Jason's warm embrace for almost an hour. Neither of them said a word, just took comfort in something they both feared they had lost. Sam was sure that she would never feel like this again. Since that awful night it kind of felt like the world went from color to black and white, like at the end of The Wizard of Oz. But now she was back in his arms and the world seemed a little bit brighter, she knew that they had a lot to talk about. Some issues that they would have to work through, but she knew that they were going to be okay.**

"**You want to know what I was just thinking about?" Sam said breaking the silence.**

"**I am always curious to know what is going on in that pretty head of yours." He replied amazed at how easy it was between them.**

"**Well you know I always thought that gazebo here was really peaceful, the only better place I have found in the world is right here wrapped up in your arms." She nuzzled closer, and he wasn't even sure how it was possible, "I was thinking that it's never felt quite this good before, now do you think it's because I am your arms while I'm in the gazebo, or maybe it's that I have a new appreciation for it. I never knew pain like that existed." she confessed.**

"**Neither did I. And I couldn't escape it. It was always with me, even when I tried to sleep. I would see your face every time I closed my eyes." He pulled her chin up so that he could see her. His fingers traced every angle every curve and every freckle, it was like he was trying to memorize her face.**

**Sam reached up and stopped his him. "Hey, you don't have to memorize my face. I am not going anywhere. At least not without you. I love you so much Jason. I'm sorry about eve…"**

**Her words quickly turned in to moans when his lips met hers, she felt her eyelids flutter and the goose bumps formed on her neck. His tongue traced the outline of her lips, partly them slightly. He took a deep breath relishing in the way she tasted. This kiss was a reunion, they were reacquainting themselves with each other. Jason deepened the kiss placing his hand on the back of her neck pulling her to him. He pulled back briefly he just had to make sure she was real, "God Sam I missed you so much." When he leaned back in for more he felt the wetness on her cheeks. Pulling his head back to see her face knew they were happy tears. **

"**So um I was wondering if you could do me a favor." She smiled at him he lips still swollen from their kisses **

"**A favor, what kind of favor?" he knew she was up to something, because she know he would do anything for her.  
**

"**Well I left my apartment a few hours ago intending to take a refreshing stroll through the park. Now here were and it's late and actually have an appetite for the first time in like forever. Problem is I don't have any money. Do you thin k you could buy me dinner?" she turned her head to the side and pushed her lips out to pout. "Please"**

**She was so absurd at times. "Dinner? Well you know I'm not really sure if that's a good idea…'" he wasn't sure where it came from but Sam brought out a side of him that no one knew he had. He did have a sense of humor, and he loved to laugh, especially with Sam. He looked down at her and she still had her lips pushed out and he couldn't resist. He leaned down and placed a hard kiss against her lips, it caught her off guard but she caught up with him pretty quickly. She knew what he was doing. This kiss was demanding and possessive, he was letting her know who she belonged to. She was his, and he was hers. Sam had to push at his chest to break the kiss,**

"**So where do we stand on dinner. Cause I am hungry." She jumped off the bench never letting go of his hand, she wasn't a dependant girlfriend but right now she simply wasn't ready to lose the physical connection that she had. She pulled on his arm trying to get him up but he wasn't budging.**

"**Jaaaasssonnnnn! Come on, I'm hungry. Are you really going to deny me food? Look at me I am wasting away over here, Help a girl out." **

**He finally stood up from the bench pulling her against his chest. Sam was looking up at him with her chin resting on his chest.**

"**You know that I would do anything for you, I would never deny you of something that you are obviously in desperate need of.**

**His hands wrapped around her waist his fingers finding a sliver of exposed flesh where here pants stopped and her shirt began. His finger tips gently gliding over skin confirmed her suspicions that he was no longer talking about food. **

**Whatever he was doing to her back was sending jolts threw her body. The things this man could do with his hands. Sam was now reassessing her need to eat, she could eat later. **

"**Come on, he pulled her in the direction of the parks exit. I'm parked right over here. We can stop and pick something on the way." he smiled at her. She loved his smile not just because it was beautiful but because he didn't share it with just anybody. And she knew that she saw it more than anyone else in the world. **

"**Why Mr. Morgan, that was very presumptuous of you to just assume that I would be coming home with you. I don't know what kind of girl you think I am," she missed the ease of their relationship,**

"**Oh, don't kid yourself Mcall, I know exactly what kind of girl you are." he wiggled his eyebrows at her as we walked backwards. **

**When they got to the car Jason let go of Sam's hand so that he could unlock the door, and she panicked. She still wasn't ready to lose the physical connection, As he was unlocking the car he felt Sam crush herself against his back. He turned to look at her and knew she was scared. **

"**Please Jason. Don't let go. Promise that you'll never let go of me again." **

**When he looked at her in that moment he saw all of her. He saw her good, and her bad, he saw her joys and her sorrows, and he saw her perfections and her flaws. He saw that she was his everything.**

"**I promise Sam. Never again. I love you." **

"**I love you too,"**


	13. Chapter 13

**Jason walked into his living room with a beer in each hand. Sam was sitting in front of the coffee table still eating her dinner. They had stopped at Kelly's on the way back to the penthouse, Jason ordered his usual cheeseburger and fries while Sam decided to try one of everything on the menu. That was what Jason thought when he heard her order a BLT sandwich with extra pickles, a vegetarian omelet with a side of hash browns, and order of chicken strips, a half order of fries and a half order of onion rings, a slice of Mike's chocolate cake, and 3 peanut butter cookies. When Sam looked up from the menu she noticed that both Mike and Jason's mouths were hanging open. She simply shrugged her shoulders and said, "I'm hungry"**

"**I knew that you couldn't do it." Jason said as he came around the couch and handed her a beer. **

"**Hey I still have some time, but I guarantee you that I will finish all of this tonight." she had already put quite a dent in the order. She managed to polish off the fries and onion rings in the car on the way home, she made quick work of the BLT and the chicken strips. All she was left with was half of the omelet, a pickle and her deserts. **

"**Well I have to say that I am impressed. But I have no idea where you put it all. I think that bag probably weighed more than you." He smiled at the shocked look on her face.**

"**I don't have a problem admitting that I love to eat, and the worse the foods are for the better they taste. And I don't remember you ever complaining about my size before." **

"**I am not complaining about anything that has to do with your body. I happen to be your body's number one fan." He said trailing his hand down the length of her arm. Her whole body tingled when he touched her, and she knew she would never get tired of him.**

"**What do you like best? I mean like what's your favorite part?" she asked him**

"**What?" he looked confused by her question**

"**You said that you're my body's number one fan, I was just curious about with part was your favorite?" she asked again.**

**She watched as Jason closed his eyes and shifted the way that he was sitting. She loved knowing that she could get him all hot and bothered without even touching him.**

"**Ummm, I have different favorites for different reasons."**

"**Okay, so what are they." She wanted to hear this.**

"**Alright, my favorite spot to kiss you is here", he dipped his head down and kissed her just below her left ear. **

**Sam let out a little moan before she asked**

"**Why?" she said in a breathless whisper that was her favorite spot to be kissed. She could feel Jason's grin against her cheek, he was obviously enjoying this demonstration as well.**

"**Because every time I kiss you here" he said as he placed another kiss to her spot, and he was rewarded with another soft moan. "You do that. That little moan might be the sexist sound I have every heard" he said before placing one last kiss against her, and another moan slipped through her lips. **

**When he pulled back he noticed that she was shaking her head back and forth.**

"**You okay?" he asked**

"**Yeah, I am perfect. Okay what's next?" she was really enjoying this little game she started. When she asked Jason about her body she assumed that he would be like the majority of guys in the world and say her boobs. But then again Jason Morgan wasn't like most men, and at the moment she was reaping the benefits of his individuality.**

"**Okay I am going to need you to stand up." He said in a very professional tone.**

"**Oh really, this should be interesting." She stood up as he moved from the floor to the couch and pulled her toward him so she was standing in between his legs. She was looking down into his eyes she saw so much love and respect there that her knees got a little wobbly. Jason placed his hands on her hips to steady her. Without ever breaking eye contact he lifted her shirt revealing her stomach. His hands moved off of her hips so that he could touch her stomach. His hands felt incredible.**

"**This is my favorite spot to simple touch you, the way your skin feels is incredible. But I also like this part for another reason." He said still running his hands all over her mid drift. **

"**Oh, and what would that reason be."**

"**Well since you came charging into my life I have been having these dreams. You're in all of them. But my favorite ones are the ones when you're carrying our child right here." His hands stopped moving and just settle over her womb. Without a thought going through her mind, almost on instinct Sam place her hands on top of his still staring into his eyes. And for a moment the rest of the world slipped away, it was just the two of them. It was a moment she would never forget, it was one of those moments you want to keep in a little box so that you can show it to your grandkids one day. **

**Sam pushed Jason further back on to the couch and straddled his lap. She took his face in her hands "Do you have any idea what you do to me?" she asked. **

"**Tell me." **

"**You make me feel things so deeply sometimes it scares me. Like just now." She closed her eyes and tried to formulate her rambling thoughts. "I can't even explain it Jason, because I have never felt anything like it before in my life. It was like I could feel you inside me. Like you were a part of me. I don't know it was just…" **

**She didn't finish what she was saying and as she leaned away from him he watched her shrug her shoulders. **

"**Hey don't do that. Please don't hide from me. I don't want you to ever feel like you can't talk to me." He placed a kiss to the back of each of her hands making her giggle. **

**Sam was glad for the change in mood. Things were getting pretty intense, in a really good way, but it was still too much for her right now.  
**

"**Okay, so I think that we should make a deal." Sam said**

"**What is it with you, you're always trying to get me to make deals, and do you favors. You always have something going on in there." He said putting his hand on the top of her head.  
**

"**I am going to take that to mean that you don't just love me for my body. So do you want to hear my deal or not." She asked **

"**Oh I am on the edge of my seat." He leaned forward rubbing his hands together.  
**

"**You are such a nerd sometimes, okay here's the deal I think that we should set a date to you know…talk about everything. Today's what the 17th right. Mondays are good for me because the shops usually slow. Does that work for you?" she was starting to talk faster and faster which he knew meant that she was worried.**

"**Monday would be great, but I don't see how us making a date to talk constitutes any kind of deal." **

"**Oh well I would have gotten to that part if I had not been so rudely interrupted." She narrowed her eyes at him and he raised his hands in the air allowing her to continue. **

"**So I can't speak for you, but the last few weeks have been so painful. I felt like I was drowning in my own life. Everything was so dark and I didn't think that I would ever feel like this again Jason. I know that we have to talk about everything. And I swear to you this is not me avoiding that, I am just asking you to give me a couple of days. A small break from all the heartache, before we jump into it all head first. I need this Jase, I need to feel the good things again." She looked at him with misty eyes.**

**He wanted to give her what she was asking for, it was a reasonable request, but he couldn't make this deal with her.**

"**Sam, you know that I would do anything for you, but there are some things that need to be dealt with, things that can not wait. I completely understand where you're coming from, I would be lying if I said the thought of taking you away from this mess, some place where the only thoughts I have are of you. But I need to get some information from you, I can't keep you and Danny safe if I don't have all the information. We don't have to get into details. I am going to ask you direct questions and I need you to give me direct and honest answers. That's it. We hold off on all the other stuff until Monday. Deal?" He held his hand out for her to shake.**

**Sam slid her hand into his and she slowly shook it up and down. When she tried to pull her hand back Jason held it tighter. He brought it to his lips and placed a soft kiss to he knuckles. He dropped his hand down to his lap still holding onto her, bringing her hand with it. She knew he was showing her that he would keep his promise and never let her go again. **

"**Fine deal! But can I ask you something first? It's about the business." She used her fingers to make quotes in the air when she said the word business and he couldn't help but laugh at her.**

"**You can ask me anything you want, but I may not be able to answer it. But it has nothing to do with me not trusting you, it's for your own safety." **

**Sam knew that this must have been something he had said many times to the woman in his life. **

**:"Jason, you and Sonny are always going to meetings late at night. I assume that during some of these meetings Sonny and you make all kinds of deals for a variety of reasons." She had that smile on her face, the one that told him she was up to something.**

"**Yes, Sam. Sonny and I attend meetings and during some of those meetings deals are made." He had no idea where she was going with this. **

"**Well I am kind of curious about something, do you seal all of your deals with kisses? Or am I just special?" she batted her eyelashes at him. **

"**Oh you, beautiful girl, are defiantly special." He pulled her hand back to his mouth and placed another kiss there. **

"**You certainly know how to treat a girl Morgan" she said **

"**I do my best." He said with a sexy smile. **

**Sam had burrowed herself into the corner of his couch. Her knees pulled tight against her chest. She had the sleeves of her shirt pulled down over her hands.**

"**Okay, I'm ready. What do you need to know?" she was determined to be strong. **

**Jason was sitting on the coffee table directly in front of her. **

"**Remember what I said, direct questions, and direct answers. How long have you known that Nico was in Port Charles?"**

"**The first time I physically saw him was that night at the bakery. I got the first cat the day before my bakery was trashed. I think the hang-up calls to my cell stated around the same time. If I had to guess I would say he has been her since I got here"**

"**Have you had any contact with him since that night?"**

"**Nothing at all. Nico doesn't like to lose. And right now in his head he is losing me to you. And I know you threatened him but he wouldn't just walk away. He is still here, which is bad. He is dangerous and not in a sexy way." She finished running her fingers over his forearm.**

**He smiled at her comment, and continued his questions "Alright, do you have any idea where he would stay, and kind of habits he has that could help us find him." **

"**It wouldn't be anyplace fancy. Probably some place that just kind of blends into the background. That's what he is best at Jase, he is able to blend in. He never draws attention to himself. Patron, you know the tequila. He always had bottles of it. He would always have a few shots before he went to bed at night." She laid her head back against the couch, staring at the ceiling. She heard Jason get up and she felt him sit beside her on the couch. He placed his hand on her knee. It was a simple gesture but it let her know that he was there.**

"**I'm sorry, I wish I could help more. Especially considering the fact that I am the reason that monster is even in Port Charles." She let out this grunt and slammed her fist into the arm of the couch. She was about to raise her arm and repeat the process when she felt his had wrap around her wrist pinning to the couch. She turned her hand back and fourth trying to get her hand free. But she knew it was pointless, not just because he was so much bigger that her but because getting away from his wasn't want she wanted.**

"**I know that your angry, and scared, but the last thing I need right now is you running around Port Charles half cocked and hell bent on justice. So just relax, I will find him, I promise you. He will not get away with forcing himself on you. I will make sure he suffers for how he hurt you." Jason didn't notice that Sam had some how curled herself onto his lap without him noticing. He looked down at her closed eyes and her lower lip stuck in between her teeth. He knew that she was awake. But he couldn't bring himself to push her for more information. It could wait one night. **

"**Hey, there is still chocolate cake and cookies in the kitchen. And I could have swore this really hot brunette guaranteed me that she would finish it all tonight. I wonder where she went anyway, you didn't see by chance did you?" He said as his fingers found her ribs and he started tickling her. The way she was squirming around on his lap, wiggling that prefect little ass, he was hard in a matter of seconds. He continued to poke at her causing her to laugh and beg for mercy. **

"**JA..soon! Stop… ple..aa..se" she was begging him and he wasn't relenting. If he wanted to play with fire she would be more than happy to let him burn. **

**She managed to work herself into the perfect position she could feel him against her ass, this was going to be just as hard on her as him. But she would teach him to mess with her. She stated off slow with a subtle grind against him and smiled when he pushed back into her, she quickened her movement she was making with her hips. His lips were at her ear and she could feel his quick breaths. She knew it was now or never, is she didn't walk away right now she knew it would only be a matter of time before he was buried deep inside her. **

**Using her small stature to her advantage she slipped under his arm and out of his grasp just in the nick of time. She walked around looking at him over the back of the couch. He was laying face down his hands were clutching a small throw pillow over his head. **

"**Hey you okay? Looks like you have found yourself in quite a painful situation, there Morgan. I 'm going to head into the kitchen. If I see that hot brunette you were talking about earlier I send her your way. Maybe she could help you out with that problem of yours." She sipped into the kitchen to finish her desert. **

"**FUCK!" Jason screamed into the couch cushion. She did not just do that. He hadn't been with her in two weeks and it was killing him. The way she moved her ass should be illegal. He was now sporting a major hard on and she was getting busy with her chocolate cake in the kitchen. He slowly and painfully stood from the couch and adjusted himself so that he could walk to the kitchen. **

**He spent the last two weeks missing her face it seemed wrong to be away from her already. He walked into the kitchen all the work he had done to talk down his little friend went out the window. Sam was standing in front of sink in nothing but a pair of black boycott panties. She smiled at his reaction and walked to him and ran her hand from his chest down to his dick. She was stroking him light though his pants. **

"**I wanted to say sorry. I realized now that it was pretty mean." She went to walk past him and he grabbed her arm. **

"**Where do you think you are going" he asked hoping this wasn't more games.**

"**Come on big guy, we are going to eat desert in bed" she said waving the cake in his face. "Oh and if your good, I maybe nice and let you have some of my cake too." She said as sexy smile crossed her face. **

**God help him, he loved this woman. And he planned on spending the next several hours showing her exactly how much. He quickly grabbed the plate from Sam with one hand and before Sam had a chance to protest test he grabbed her with his other. He tossed her over his should and headed upstairs. **

**Their laughter filled the penthouse, and some of their healing began. **


	14. Chapter 14

**Jason slowly opened his eyes, a sliver of fear in his heart that last night had been a dream. An incredible mind-blowingly satisfying dream. He raised his head slightly off the bed and looked down and there she was. Sometime during the night Sam had managed to travel all the way to the other end of the bed. She was lying sideways near the foot of the bed curled into a ball.**

**Jason pushed himself up onto his elbows and surveyed the room. If he was the type of man that blushed, the sight of his bedroom that morning would have turned him a deep shade of red. **

**There was not single linen left on the bed including the pillows. The ones that hadn't been thrown to the floor were now tangled around Sam's naked body. The lamp that usually sat on his nightstand was now lying on the floor near the door to the bathroom. Everything that usually sat on his dresser was not scattered across the room. Some of the pictures on the wall were crooked. There was not a single surface in that room that he hadn't taken her on. The bed, the floor, the dresser, against the door, and the wall. **

**They could simply not get enough of each other. When he had carried her upstairs last night things progressed rather quickly. Jason had tossed her on to the bed then slowly made his way over her. His tongue tasting every inch of her neck and he welcomed the familiar feeling of her writhing beneath him. He placed his mouth on hers and kissed her deeply as her hands started tugging at his shirt. He pulled back to lift the shirt over his head and he felt her hands at his waist, desperately trying to get them undone. When she wasn't able to get them off fast enough she let out a loud moan which could have been his name or not. He finished taking off his pants and boxer briefs as she moved to the center of the bed. She was still wearing those tiny panties, the ones that made her ass look edible. Jason hooked a finger on each of her hips and jerked them away from her body and at the same time pulled her body against his. Both let out a moan at the sensation. She could feel his hardness against he, and she almost came from the anticipation alone. He could feel how wet she was, and warm. He had intended on taking this slow, savoring every second. But at that moment he had to be inside her. He would take his time later.**

"**Sam, I need you, I need to feel you." He confessed as his dick nudged at her entrance. **

**Sam knew what he needed because she needed it to. But when she felt him hard and eager between her legs, her need became desperate. Without any warning Sam grabbed Jason's ass and pulled him into her with a hard thrust.**

"**Fuck, Sam" he had not been expecting that, and he almost came immediately. She was so tight and wet. He let out a moan when he felt her body clenching around his dick. He lifted his head from her shoulder to look at her face, she was amazing. Her eyes were shut tight, and she was biting down on her lower lip. Her cheeks were flushed and he felt her body tremble in a familiar way. He stayed still, buried inside her. He noticed her eyes started to flutter. **

"**Did you just…?"**

**Sam just nodded and licked her lip. She didn't completely trust her voice at the moment. As her body calmed she slowly stated to rotate her hips, loving the way this man seemed to fill her in every what that she needed.**

**Jason felt Sam moving under him and slowly pulled back and then just as slowly filled her again. He kept his pace slow. He loved how she felt around his hardness. The way she seemed to take all that he could give her. **

**Jason was not able to keep with his slow pace, because it seemed like she got wetter with every stoke. Tighter every time he pushed into her. She had sucked her bottom lip back into her mouth and he knew that she was close to coming again.**

**He leaned down and pulled at her lip with his teeth, sucking it in to his own. Their tongues moving together in a rhythm that matched their bodies. **

"**You think you can wait for me this time?" He whispered into her ear before his lips found his favorite spot below her ear. **

"**Oohhh, Jase, oooo, please." She whimpered as her body stated to tingle, she was so close, and she knew he was too. She used all the strength she had to close her walls tight around him. And it was that did them both in, and they came together holding on to each other as the rode out their pleasure. Jason rested on top of her his head buried deep into his neck. He tried to move off her but she wrapped he legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. **

"**Stay, please." She pulled his mouth to her and placed a soft kiss against his lips. He let his head fall back to her shoulder trying to catch his breath. As his breathing seemed to regulate, he began placing soft kisses to her shoulder and neck and just below her chin. Sam started to giggle. He smiled at the sound. Jason was the one to notice that Sam always seemed to come down with a case of the giggles shortly after they would make love. She said it was because she was happiest in those moments. **

"**Ahhh! I thought that I would never here that again." Jason said as he looked at her face. He ran his fingers over her cheek. She always looked incredible after she came. Her cheeks would turn an amazing pink. Her eyes would be dark and heavy. And her mouth would hang open just an enough to allow the giggles to escape. She turned her face toward his hand and pressing a kiss against it. **

**The combination of the look in her eyes, her lips on his hand, and the way her body was vibrating with her giggles, his dick hardened while still inside her**

"**Oooo, god damn it" she had never felt a man grow with arousal while inside her, until Jason. "Jason, love it when you do that." She moaned as she started to rock against him.**

"**I don't do that, Sam you do." He said as he followed in time to her rhythm and pace. And toward the inevitable end they were both aching for.**

**Jason sat on the edge the bed. The first time they made love that night was full of need and longing. And the second time it was filled with desire and familiarity. Jason lifted his eyes to his dresser. **

**He watched her as she climbed out of bed and pulled a shirt out of his drawer before she had the chance to pull the shirt over her body he grabbed her hips and lifted her onto the dresser. Without any thoughts he thrust into her with more force than he was aware he had. And he immediately pulled back afraid that he had hurt her. But when he met here eyes all he saw was pure lust and passion. She wanted to show him that she could handle anything he had to offer. She knew what he was capable of. That there was a part of him that was dark, but she wasn't afraid of him. She knew he would never hurt her. This woman wasn't fragile, and she wasn't going to break. She was proving that right now as she met his powerful thrusts with a few of her own. Looking into her eyes he knew she would always give herself to him in anyway he wanted or needed. He tried to get control of himself because he didn't want to taint her with all his anger and pain.**

"**Jason, just let go, you don't have to control yourself with me. I want every part of you so please give it to me." Sam was practically begging him to unleash the dark part of himself. The place where all his fear, anger, disappointment, and rage lived. **

**He tried to do what she asked, he stop thinking and let the darkness take him. His thrust grew harder and faster. He was pounded into her with everything he had kept bottle up inside himself his entire life. He gave her everything and she was giving it right back. As he got higher and higher he wasn't sure he would be able to handle what was coming. As if she could ready his mind, Sam pulled herself to him and wrapped every inch of her body around his. **

"**Just let go, I've got you." Sam said in his ear. And he did, Jason let go of everything. As the intense pleasured flowed thorough his entire body he tried to focus on the tiny woman who was wrapped around him. He didn't know how much time had passed but he could start to feel his legs again, and his breathing had slowed considerably. **

**Her head was on his shoulder and he hand was over his heart. She rolled her head upward to look at him.**

"**It's finally slowing down. I was starting to worry." She smirked, when he placed his forehead against hers.**

"**Sam, there aren't words." He finally managed.**

"**Then shut up. It's time to sleep." She said with a yawn. **

**Just the memory of that moment nearly brought him to his knees. No one had ever brought that darkness out of him and lived to talk about it. But last night Sam begged for it. And when he let go she held him together while he rode it out. Sam had brought him a pleasure he didn't know existed. And it wasn't the ground shaking orgasm, although he was defiantly looking forward to experience that again. But Sam embraced every part of him last night, and it was the first time in his life he wasn't afraid that the woman he loved would wake up one day and decide he was too dangerous and leave. He trusted her love for him. **

**As he walked to end of the bed to look down at her he remembered how their night had finally come to end.**

"**Give it up Mcall, this isn't going to end well for you." Jason warned with his hands out in front of him. **

"**Oh really, It seems to me that that since I met you things always end well for me. Just a little Jase, please. You can do me next." She said as she let her hand slowly slide over her naked breasts, causing Jason to lunge at her knocking her onto the bed. He straddled her legs and pinned her hands over her head. He had never thought about tying a woman up before but seeing Sam like this completely at his mercy well it was sexy as hell. **

"**Now, are you or are you not going to apologize?" he asked his serious enforcer voice.**

"**Never." She said with that defiant look he loved. **

"**God I was really hoping you'd say that. See when I am faced with some one who isn't willing to cooperate I have to get creative." He said as he trailed up her arm and grabbed the can of whip cream from her grasp. She had been chasing him around the penthouse with it for the last 10 minutes. He was glad that no one choose that time to just drop by. He wouldn't be able to explain why Sonny Coritho's ruthless and untouchable hit man was naked with chocolate cake smeared across his chest and face. Or why he was running from the 100lb girl with the can of whip cream.**

"**Do your worse but I ain't not snitch. I got nothing to say." She pursed her lips at him. **

**Jason leaned forward so his lips were barley touching hers and said "I have ways of making you scream." **

**Sam's eyes closed and heat shot straight to her center. He had spoken with a confidence that screamed sex god. And god help her he was. She may not win this battle, hell she was hoping to lose. As long as Jason touched her soon and someplace good. She was getting a little frustrated with his teasing tactics**

**Jason sat up but continued to straddle her legs and kept a tight grip ob her wrists with one hand. **

**Jason took the can or whip cream and made a trail from her belly button all the way between her breasts over her heart up her next to her ear.**

**He placed the can on the bed and lowered his head toward her stomach. When he was position just right above her looked up at her. Her eyes were closed and she was already starting to wiggle under him, and the moment he released her hands they quickly found her breast and she was rubbing herself. This was going to be a piece of cake, no pun intended. Then Jason caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Sam's right hand was slowly reaching for the can of whip cream. That sneaky little…. **

**Jason was faster and grabbed the can and shook his head slowly back and fourth. He was going to enjoy making her pay for that.  
**

"**You just don't know when to give up." He said as he repositioned himself above her stomach.  
**

"**I never give up, especially when I know that I can win." Her voice cracked on the last word when Jason's tongue swept across her belly button. He continued the trailed between her breasts making sure one of his hands accidentally brushed against her hard nipples. She moaned at that. It was only a matter of time. He had her just where he want her. He licked the rest of the whipped cream off her, making sure he didn't leave anything below her left ear besides a slight bruising he would proudly claim as his. Her little moan finally fell from her lips and he quickly made his way down her body and finally settled between her legs. He nudged her legs and smiled when she let them fall to the bed showing her self to him without question. **

**Jason started drawing little star shapes with his fingers against her inner thighs, never getting close enough to sooth the ache he knew she was feeling. She was starting to roll her hips, and Jason kept getting quick little glimpses of her perfectly pink little pussy. And as much as he was enjoying this little game, he couldn't deny himself much longer. So he decided to speed things up a little. Without any warning or build up he slipped two fingers into her core, and she bucked into his fingers grinding against them bringing herself the satisfaction that he was denying her, she felt it coming and she held her breath when he did the unthinkable, he pulled out of her. And he started tracing little stars on her thighs again. **

**He watched her out of the corner of his eye. She raised herself on to her elbows and glared at him. He pretended like he had no idea what could have gotten her so upset.**

"**You okay? "He asked innocently, but he was unable to keep from smiling at the look on her face. She looked like she was ready to kill him. He actually thought for a brief second that he may have been in danger.**

"**Are you being serious right now," she asked a little out of breath. "Jason? What do I have to do? " she asked as she sat all the way up causing Jason to have roll over on to his back. " Tell me what I have to do; I need you to make me come Jase. "She was now on her hands and knees crawling on top of him. She was the sexist thing that he had ever seen. He loved how she would tell him what she wanted, was never shy about her desires. She wasn't above begging for it if it ever came to that, which of course it never would. **

**She made her way up his body making sure her breast brushed right along the length of his erection. She was where exactly why she wanted to be. He could feel how wet she was this was going to go pretty quick. She raised herself up and then slowly lowered herself on to his dick. **

"**Oh, Jase. God" she started to make circles with her hips not wanting to lose an inch of him. "You feel so good, baby." She said still making those slow circles which were slowly driving him insane. He need to more.**

"**Sam, baby please. You gotta move your ass." He said as he gave her a quick smack.**

**Finally she rose up and started riding him. Bringing them both closer and closer, until she pulled off of him completely. Leaving him confused and pissed. This better not be some stupid revenge for what he did to her. **

**He was about to ask what the fuck she thought she was doing, when he felt her straddle him again this time with her back to him. She sank back down and started to ride him again. Faster and faster until the both came hard and Sam slumped forward unable to support her self any longer. **

**She curled up into a ball and he swung around toward her. He brushed her hair out of her face. She opened her eyes and smiled at him. **

"**I thought you might enjoy watching me move my ass for you." she said half asleep already. Her eyes had already closed before he could respond. But he leaned in and whispered into her ear. Then he pulled her close and closed his eyes too.**

"**I love you too Jase, always." **

**He just smiled and gave in and fell asleep.**

**He shook her gently, but he wasn't getting any response. **

"**Sam, baby come you got to wake up. Baby can you hear me?" He asking shaking her a little harder. "Sam!' **

"**Jason I am still humming from the last one, just give me a few minutes and we can…" her voice trailed off as he fell back under.**

**God, she could ever get him hard while she was sleeping. **

"**No Sam baby you gotta get up. You're starting to stick the bed." He wasn't kidding. They never cleaned up before falling asleep last night and the sheet was clearly stuck to her. "If don't get up now you could be stuck there forever." **

**She opened her eyes and smiled at him. **

"**Jason, when you threaten someone, are you supposed to say things like "sleeping with the fishes" and "fitting you for cement boots" "Sam asked in a horrible attempt to sound like all the mob movies. **

"**Something along those lines, I suppose."' He replied.**

"**Then why would you threaten me with my greatest wish. "**

**He looked at her with confusion, he wasn't sure what he had said that she could be referring to. **

"**You tell me that if don't get up now I'm going to have to say here forever. I'm thinking that might be a really good thing" Sam stood up on the bed and bounced back to the middle. **

"**Sam what are you doing?" she was actually naked and jumping up and down on his bed.**

"**Well I thought over my decision and I choose to stay here, forever." She sat crossed legged. She extended her had to him "Care to join me?" **

**He reached out to take her hand but she pulled it back quickly. "I should warn you. I have been told that I am very sticky and also very sweaty. Do you think you can handle that, I mean were talking about forever here." She teased him a little before pulling him down on top of her. **

"**After last night, I'm starting to think forever might not be enough." Jason said as he placed a kiss to her waiting lips. **


	15. Chapter 15

Nico had been waiting for over 15 minutes and he was starting to get pissed. It had been two weeks since that night with Sam, and he could still taste her skin. He was waiting for the right moment to claim his prize, but he waited too long because that bitch went back to Morgan. And to make things worse Morgan had put guards on not only Sam but Danny as well. He had lost his leverage and he knew he needed to change his plans. He would have his little kitty back soon and if Jason Morgan thought he could stop him, he was wrong.

He saw the car pull up and a man get out and walk toward him. "Took you long enough, you're late." He complained.

"You are lucky I came at all. I don't know you, but my family says I can trust you. Now what is it you want?" the man asked irritated.

"I want my girl back where she belongs. And I need your help to get her there."

"I am going to need you to be more specific."

"It's simple, I want Jason Morgan dead, yesterday!" Nico said with a smile.

"Well, I don't know if I can trust you, but anyone who wants Morgan dead is okay in my book. Do you have any preferences on how it should be done." The man asked

"No, as long as he is dead. I do want him to know that it was me that made it happen though. I want his last thoughts to be of me and my little kitty."

"Oh, so your girl is banging Morgan. She must be that hot brunette, nice. I could see killing over her."

"Just kill him, soon." Nico threw a bag at him. "You get the rest when Morgan is 6 feet under." And with that he walked back into the night.

The man picked up the bag and smiled. Morgan would die, but there was no way that fool Nico would get that sweet piece he had seen Morgan with. No, she would be his. And if Nico had a problem with that he would just have to die too.

* * *

"SPINELLI!" Jason yelled.

Two weeks. He had spent the last two weeks looking for this freak Nico, and he couldn't find a fucking thing. He had every available person looking for anything that would tell him where he could find him, but the guy seemed to have disappeared.

"Stonecold, you beckoned?" The young man asked.

"Did you find anything?" Jason almost pleaded.

"I'm sorry but I have had no luck in tracking the vicious one. I assure you if the Jackal finds any information he will not hesitate to pass along the knowledge." Spinelli had been using every resource he had to locate the man but it seemed Sam was correct about Nico's ability to blend in.

"Alright, just keep looking. I have to find this asshole before he can get to Sam or Danny again."

"Understood, I will be diligent in my duties." He said and ran back upstairs.

"FUCK!" Jason yelled as he swept everything off his desk in frustration. He knew if he didn't find him soon, something bad was going to happen. He could feel it.

"You know if you needed help with your paperwork, you could have just asked." Sam said as she walked thorough the door, seeing a very frustrated Jason.

He turned around and despite his anger and frustration he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face at the mere sight of her. He closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her.

It may have only been a hello kind of kiss but it still made her knees a little wobbly. "Well hello to you too." She said as she tried to catch her breath.

"I missed you." He admitted

"Jase, I have only been gone for…" she looked at her watch. "7 hours. You barely had time to notice I was gone." She said even though she knew how he felt. She missed him whenever she was away from him, whether it was 10 minutes or 2 days.

He just shrugged his shoulders and walked to the couch. She knew he was worried about Nico, he had been on edge for weeks. He tried to hide it from her, rather unsuccessfully. She didn't know understand why people thought he was so difficult to read. All she had to do was look into his eyes and she knew exactly how he was feeling. And right now he was worried.

She walked past him into the kitchen and grabbed two beers from the fridge. She walked back into the living room. She handed him one and was about to sit next to him, but suddenly the need to be closer to him took over and she straddled his lap. His arms wrapping around her and she instantly felt calm and safe,

"I missed you too." She said and gave him a smile. "I take it you haven't found Nico?" she asked while playing with the label of her beer.

He simply shook his head. She hated it when he got all quiet and subdued. She know it meant he was blaming himself for not being able to find him, blaming himself for not keeping her and Danny safe, blaming himself for world hunger. She leaned back and set her beer on the coffee table, then grabbed his and did the same thing.

"Hey!" She said taking his face in her hands. "Stop it. Don't get all quiet and start beating yourself up, none of this is your fault. I'm the one that brought that psycho into your life, if you want to blame someone, blame me." She said

"Not going to happen. You are the victim, remember?" He asked kissing her palm.

"Yeah, I sure was a victim that night in the bakery." she muttered, and felt him tense.

They had talked about that night about a week ago. Sam had explained how she met Nico and how everything went down. She had told him that she deserved what happened because of how she treated Danny. Jason held her and told her it wasn't her fault, and that she wasn't a bad person. He had been amazingly supportive and didn't judge her. When they started talking about the night in the bakery, Sam realized that Jason was under the impression that Nico had forced himself on her. Needless to say he was less than happy to learn that it was Sam's idea. He understood that she had done it to protect Danny, but he couldn't understand why she thought that was her only option. He told her that his mind got it, but his heart still got hurt. She apologized and swore to him that she would make it up to him. In the end they decided to leave the past where it belonged in the past. They would move forward together. And the last week had been great. Sam knew that things would be even better once they found Nico.

"You were, so stop beating yourself up please. I told you I forgive you, now you just have to forgive yourself." He said and placed a kiss against her lips.

"Yeah, I'm getting there. It's just I can still see your face when you walked in …" she started but was interrupted by an earth shattering kiss. When Jason pulled back he smiled, Sam's eyes were closed and her cheeks flushed. "Okay, you know you can't do that every time you want to shut me up, it's hardly playing fair."

"I never want to shut you up." He smiled. "Okay every now and then and mostly when you start talking about that night. We agreed to let it stay in the past, but that's hard to do when you keep bringing it up. I know that your sorry, just leave it. Please." Jason said.

"Fine, but only because you are sooo cute." She said pinching his cheeks. Then she jumped up off his lap.

"Hey, where are you going?" He asked clearly affected by the distance between them.

"Well I have a date tonight." She said with that smile that Jason knew meant trouble.

"Sam, I told you earlier that I have to work. I only have like two hours before I have to head out." He told her

"Oh, I know. That's why I made other plans, hence the date I was referring too." She said as she bounded up the stairs.

Jason sat confused on the couch for a moment before following her.

"Sam? What do you mean date?" He asked standing in the doorway to his closet that now held most of Sam's clothes. He watched as she pulled several items off the racks and blew past him and started laying stuff on the bed. "Sam! What date?" he asked growing more and more anxious noticing the clothing she was laying out. Or lack there of.

"Well, since you have to work, and I'm not really the stay at home and wait for her boyfriend kind of girl, I agreed to a night of dinner, dancing, and drinking." She said noticing the way his hands were now balled into fists. She knew she should tell him her plans were with Ruthie, but this was so much more fun. She grabbed a black very mini skirt and a white tank top and held them in front of her. "What about this? With my black boots?" Jason's face turned an unnatural color of red and she had to turn around so he would see her smile.

She felt his arms wind around her and pull the clothing from her hands. She wiggled her way out of his grasp and tried to make her way to the bathroom, but he quickly grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him. "Sam." He said in a very serious tone. She tried to wiggle her way out again but he quickly wrapped both arms around her waist and lifted her off the ground. "Sam, I can tell you are fucking with me, but I am started to get annoyed. What are you doing tonight?" He asked calmly.

Sam wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. "Is it wrong that I get all hot when you get all jealous and manly?" she asked still not answering his question. He just raised his eyebrows and cocked his head to the side. "Fine, I am not fucking with you. I do have a date, with Ruthie." She said as she kissed him.

He walked her over to the bed and threw her on it. "You're still not wearing that skirt." He said and she laughed. "So what are you ladies up to tonight?"

"Well, ever since I met you I have been neglecting my duties as a best friend. And after Nico I swore I would never make a guy my whole life, no matter how amazing he is. So we agreed to making one night a week our night. Tonight we are going to have dinner at the Metro Court, and then see where the night takes us. Probably Jakes." She had made her way into the bathroom and started the shower.

"Well I hope you have fun, just promise me that you will be careful." He asked

She was undressing as they talked and was now in just her panties. "In the words of the infamous Jason Morgan, always." She said with a smile.

"You are such a smart ass" he chuckled

"And you love it." She said wiggling her now naked ass at him.

"Yes I do." He said smacking said ass playfully before she could get into the shower. He turned to walk out of the bathroom when she called his name.

"Jase?"

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking of asking Carly if she wanted to join us tonight. Do you think she would want to come?" she asked.

He raised his eyebrows at her, she always surprised him.

"I know that she is important to you, and I thought that we had made progress that night at dinner but then I screwed everything up when I" she stopped when Jason held his had up. "Sorry, not talking about it. I just thought maybe I could try again." She really did want to get along with Carly. Sam had promised not to hurt Jason and she did, so Carly would have been justified in ripping Sam a new one, but she didn't. She simply ignored her whenever they were in each other presence. Sam hoped she would be able to show Carly that she knew she screwed up and she really did love Jason.

"It's hard to say with Carly, all you can do is ask. I think that it is a nice gesture no matter what she says. I appreciate you making an effort." He smiled. And then Sam turned around in the shower, so that she was facing him. The shower hadn't had the chance to fog up yet so he could see everything. God, she was gorgeous.

"Okay, I'll ask her." Sam opened her eyes and noticed the change in Jason, and the bulge in his pants. "Something going on in your pants there Jase?" she asked.

"Uh yeah. I'll let you shower in peace." He turned to leave again and he heard the door to the shower open.

"Come on." Sam said with a smile.

Jason quickly shed his clothing and joined her in the shower.

An hour later Sam was dressed in a pair of tight jeans, a white tank top, black boots, and a leather jacket. She had just gotten off the phone with Carly, who said she would like to go out with her and Ruthie tonight. Sam had the feeling that Jason had already spoken to Carly and convinced her to give Sam a second chance. Sam knew Carly was only going to make Jason happy, but she figured she would take what she could get.

"So Carly is coming tonight." Sam said to Jason as he made his way down stairs. "But you probably already knew that."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." He said with a twinkle in those blue eyes.

"Yeah, it's a good thing you are against lying because you're really bad at it." She said as she grabbed her purse and threw her keys and cell phone into it.

"I hope you girls have fun tonight, and I am sending Max and Robbie with you. Don't argue because you are not going to win. I love you. Don't get into too much trouble." He kissed her and opened the door and watched as she walked across the hall to get Carly. He watched the two women wave and get into the elevator. He really hoped tonight went well and Carly could forgive Sam for her mistakes. He was about to close the door to his penthouse when he heard the elevator doors open again. Sam rushed toward him and threw herself into his arms.

"I forgot to tell you I love you too." She said kissing him long and hard.

"Go." He told her. And she turned and walked back to the elevator. He looked up at Carly and noticed she was smiling at the scene she had just witnessed. He knew she wanted him to be happy, and Sam made him happy. He knew the two of them would be friends soon.

Then it hit him. The combination of Sam and Carly, they would be a force to be reckoned with. What did he get himself into?

* * *

The evening had started out rough. The car rid from Harbor View Towers to Ruthie's was completely silent. Sam was too nervous to start any type of conversation, and it was obvious that Carly was only there as a favor to Jason. Once they picked Ruthie up things just got more awkward. Sam and Ruthie were casually talking, but neither knew how to include Carly in the conversation, so after a few minutes the silence returned. They arrived at the Metro Court and were seated for dinner when Sam noticed Carly waving at a blonde woman who appeared to work at the hotel. That's when Sam realized that it must be Courtney, Jason's ex-wife. She felt stupid for picking this restaurant, she knew that Jason's ex owned the place with her new husband. Surprisingly Sam had not met Courtney in the two and half months she had been in Port Charles, and she figured Carly was probably not the best person to be making the introductions. Much to Sam's amazement Courtney was fairly polite, but that made sense Jason wouldn't marry someone who wasn't. Thankfully, Courtney was late for something so the encounter consisted of "Nice to meet you" and "I've heard good things about the bakery" and it ended with "Enjoy your meal" and "I guess I'll see you around."

They managed to make it halfway through dinner making small talk. Ruthie and 2 bottles of wine were able to get Carly talking a little, mostly about her family. The breaking point finally came when Carly mentioned how great Jason had always been with her boys. Sam had innocently stated that she couldn't wait to see Jason as a father. And it seemed Carly had played nice for as long as she could.

"Too bad that you will be seeing it from a distance. Jason deserves to have a family with someone who actually loves him, and that is NOT YOU!"

Sam calmly stood up from the table. "Carly, I think we should talk outside on the terrace."

Once they were outside Sam managed to find the courage she needed to deal with Carly.

"Alright, just say whatever it is you need to say. All of it. Get it out, I've earned it." Sam said and braced herself.

"You swore you wouldn't hurt him and you did. Worse then I ever would have thought possible. He is my best friend and you destroyed him. I don't know how to forgive you like he did, and to be truthful I don't want to. What I want is to kick your ass." Carly yelled as she pulled her fist back and punched Sam in the jaw, hard enough to make her stumble backwards.

Holding her chin Sam replied, "You're right, and I deserved that. Okay, I fucked up. I know that. I found myself in what I can only say was a fucked up situation. I thought that I had to break it off with Jason in order to protect my brother, and I CHOSE to do it in the most painful way there was. I panicked and instead of trusting Jason with MY problem I lied to him and tried to handle it on my own. You have to understand that I have been on my own pretty much my whole life. I have never had someone looking out for me. I always had to stay on my toes, I had to think on my feet, and only had myself to rely on when things went bad. I did whatever I had to do in order to take care of myself and Danny. You are so lucky to have had Jason in your life for so long." Sam stopped trying to figure out how to say this. Carly just stared at her, at least she was letting her explain.

"He is amazing. The way he accepts me, and you, with no conditions is not something I'm used to. His willingness to jump into the messes that we make, no questions asked, is something I'm learning how to trust. You are able to embrace his reliability, you're used to knowing that no matter how bad you mess up he will always be there. I have never had anyone that I could count on when I got into trouble. So at that moment in the bakery last month, I was alone and scared and I did what I have been doing my whole life. I hate myself for doing it, I hate myself for hurting him, and I hate that no matter how sorry I am and no matter how many times I apologize I will never be able to erase that moment. If I could go back and change it I would, but I can't. All I can do now is move forward. I don't know what I did to deserve his forgiveness, but I know that I will be grateful for it for the rest of my life. I love him Carly, and I can't promise you that I will never mess up again, but I can promise you I will always be honest with him and I will never take him for granted." Sam was crying now. She just hoped she got through to Carly.

"You didn't deserve his forgiveness." Carly said and Sam feared that her heartfelt apology had fallen on deaf ears. "That's how he works. When Jason loves you, the way he loves us, it's without expectations. There is a deep place inside Jason Morgan that very few people are able to find way into, his sister Emily, my family, for some unknown reason Spinelli, and you. Once you're there, its forever. You can never let him down or disappoint him, and no matter how bad you fuck up or how low you sink he will always be there to save you. And he always forgives you." Carly said with tears in her eyes.

"I guess that makes us pretty lucky, huh?" Sam said trying to compose herself.

"More than you know. I can see how much he loves you, and I am starting to see how much you love him. So I am going to forgive you. You need to learn to trust in the love you two share because if you don't you could lose him and they don't come any better than him."

"I'm getting there. Thank you Carly, you would have been totally justified in telling me to go to hell but you listened and I am really thankful that you did.

"I'm starting to see why Jason and Michael like you so much, you're a lot like me." Carly joked as she uncrossed her arms and moved toward Sam. She opened her arms and Sam did the same. The two women embraced each other and knew that a strong friendship had been formed. One more thing that both could thank Jason for.

"Coleman! Another round." Sam yelled.

Sam, Ruthie and Carly had been at Jake's for almost 3 hours, and had managed to put back almost 2 bottles of tequila and a twelve pack of imported beer. It was quickly approaching last call and the three ladies were the only people left in the bar.

Coleman mad his way toward the table of heavily intoxicated woman. "Alright Sammy, but this is the last one. I don't need Corinthos and Morgan pissed at me for letting you two" ,he said pointed to Carly and Sam, "drink yourselves into unconsciousness." He said as he put the 3 shots on the table.

"Oh Coleman, you know we would never let them hurt you." Carly slurred.

The bartender simply nodded and walked back behind the bar. It turned out that Coleman was actually a pretty decent guy who enjoyed playing the part of the sleazy bartender. Maybe he was just being nice to them because of who they were, or who they were associated with, but Sam preferred to think that he had a heart of gold under all that swagger. The 2 bodyguards that had been standing in the corner all evening nodded at him before one slipped out the back door.

"Okay, ladies as much as I have enjoyed our evening I have to start closing this joint down."

"Awwwww!" the girls responded in unison.

"It's probably for the best, because one of us needs to be at the bakery at 5:30am" Ruthie said. "And it's not going to be me." She continued.

"Huh, some friend you are." Sam teased. "No, it's fine. I will be there with shells on… no that's not right…with rings on? No…" Sam said.

"Bells! Bells, Sam." Carly yelled.

"Right, bells on. That's what I meant. I will be there like that. Carly you are a lifesaver. I don't know how I have made it this far in my life without you."

"It is a miracle. But you did have Ruthie."

"Thank you Carly." Ruthie beamed.

"I love both you guys." Sam cooed.

"Ohhhh, Sammy you're drunk. You always get all lovey dovey when you're drunk." Ruthie said.

"So what, I am a sweet drunk. There is nothing wrong with that."

"Yeah it could be worse Ruthie, she could be a sloppy drunk like Courtney. God, one time she got drunk at dinner and threw up all over my couch. Jason had to carry her home, she barely drank anything. She was sooo boring." Carly admitted.

"I thought you were friends?" Ruthie asked.

"I tried for Jason, the only reason I never tried to run her off was because I knew she could never really hurt him. He loved her, but it was the way you love your friends. He wanted her safe and happy, but there was no passion."

"How could you be married to that man and have no passion? I can't even do the dishes with him without wanting to jump his bones. He is beyond sexy." Sam said getting hot just thinking about him.

"Okay too much info Sam, although I have always wondered what Jason was like in bed. Courtney was such a prude she would never say anything." Carly giggled.

"All I am saying is I have seen stars, had out of body experiences and one time I am pretty sure I saw God." Sam confessed.

"Damn!" Carly and Ruthie yelled and each gave Sam a high five, before all three started laughing.

Coleman appeared next to the table just as Robbie walked back inside and the girls realized it was closing time.

"Beauties, your chariot awaits to escort you home." Coleman told them.

"Coleman, it has been real. Thank you for your hospatap… hospstab… umm thanks for the tequila." Sam stuttered as she stumbled toward the door.

"Home, here we come." Carly yelled.

Max and Robbie were able to wrangle the inebriated women into the car with the help of Coleman with little trouble.

"Oh my god! I just got the best idea. We should have a slumber party." Sam screamed.

"That is a good idea. We can do each others hair and talk about boys." Carly screeched.

"And drink more tequila." Ruthie added.

"We can go to Jason's cause his bar is fully stocked, there is a pool table, Jason is working and Spinelli is at Maxie's."

Carly leaned forward and tapped Max on the shoulder. "Hey Max, we are going to have a slumber party, so there is no need to drop Ruthie off."

"Sure thing Mrs. C. We should be there in just a few minutes." Max replied.

Getting all three women up to the penthouse turned out to be slightly more difficult then getting them into the car, probably because they were short one man. Every time the guards got them close to the elevator one would take off for some unknown reason. Robbie eventually managed to convince Sam that he really wanted to give her a piggyback ride upstairs, leaving his hands free to corral Carly in to the elevator. In all it took the two men about 25 minutes to the women into Jason's penthouse. When the door finally closed the two men took their post outside the door, both shaking their heads and smiling.

* * *

Jason rubbed his hands over his face and then rubbed his eyes. He had been sitting at a red light for what seemed liked hours, but was probably less than a minute. He hadn't expected to be out so late tonight, but here he was finally making his way home at almost four in the morning. Supervising a shipment normally went pretty smooth, but not tonight. They were expected to be landing the shipment at 11pm, but Jason didn't see the ship pull into the harbor until after midnight. Then the idiot that was piloting the damn thing docked it at the wrong pier. By the time everything was unloaded it was well after two in the morning. And if that wasn't enough all the paperwork was screwed up, leaving Jason to straighten everything out before Bernie got there in the morning. And the cherry on top was when his cell phone died and he couldn't find the charger anywhere. He knew that if someone really needed him they could always find him, but he didn't like not being able to contact Sam. Nico was out there. He had put his two best guards on the girls tonight but he still liked to hear Sam's voice every now and then just to be sure she was safe.

He had been irritated, angry, annoyed, pissed, stressed, worried, and now he was just tired. He wanted to go home and crawl into bed with Sam and sleep for a few hours before she had to get up for work in the morning. With his late nights and her early mornings, they didn't get a lot of time to sleep together. Not have sex, they always seemed to be able to find time for that, but actual sleep. He had never really been big on sleep, he saw it as a necessity not a luxury. He slept when his body told him to, and for the least amount of time required. A few hours a night was fine by him. Plus he never really enjoyed sharing a bed with someone, to sleep at least. He was a light sleeper and every noise and movement would wake him up. Courtney was always asking him to take the morning off and sleep in with her but he always told her he couldn't. Courtney snored really loud, and was always pulling on the blankets, and kicking him during the night. He never understood why people would talk about wanting to spend the whole day in bed sleeping, until he met Sam.

Falling asleep with her in his arms brought him a sense of completeness that allowed him to totally relax. He slept soundly as long as she was there. He didn't toss and turn, and he always woke up feeling renewed. But his favorite thing was when he would come home late and find her curled up in his bed wearing that stupid shirt covered with paint, he would strip down to his boxer briefs and as soon as he laid his head on the pillow she would mold herself around him. Her legs would wrap around his, she would drape her arm across his waist and bury her face into his chest. The way her body responded to him even in her sleep, was something he had never experienced before, and he found that he loved it. He now knew how someone could spend all day in bed, because he had on more than one occasion wished he could.

He had been so lost in his thoughts he didn't realize that he had made it back to the garage of his building. He parked his truck and made his way up to the penthouse. When he got off the elevator he was happy to see Max and Robbie that meant that Sam was home.

"Hey guys. Everything go okay tonight? Sorry if you tried to reach me, my phone died." Jason told them.

"No, everything went fine. No problems at all." He said fighting back a smile. Max had noticed that most of the noise that had been coming from Penthouse 2 had quieted down about an hour ago, which meant that the girls had probably all passed out. He wondered if he should warn Jason about what he was walking into, but he thought it might be funny to watch instead.

"Alright, well I'm home so you guys can take off. Thanks for keeping an eye on them tonight. See you tomorrow." Jason said as he entered his home.

There was no moon tonight so when he stepped inside it was pitch dark. He took about 3 steps toward his desk before he tripped over something, he caught himself on the desk chair before he hit the ground thankfully. He blindly reached for the light switch and flipped it on. The sight before him was a shock to say the least.

He looked down to figure out what he had tripped over and noticed it was Sam's boots, and her jacket, and her purse. Then he noticed another pair of shoes on top of the desk, and a final pair on the pool table. There was a half empty bottle of tequila and 3 shot glasses on the coffee table. There was a broken glass in front of the fireplace, and one of the pool cues was stuck in between the couch cushions. There were 2 pizza boxes on the pool table, and a few stray slices that didn't make it back into the box as well. There were beer bottles on the stairs and a bra hanging from the banister.

Jason turned around and opened the door hoping that Max and Robbie were still there. He was surprised to see them both leaning up against the elevator doors.

"What the hell happened? You said there were no problems?" Jason asked clearly confused.

"Well, there weren't really any problems. I mean they were loud, and clumsy, and funny, but there were no problems." Robbie said

"Are you telling me that Sam and Ruthie did that to my apartment?" Jason asked.

"Uh, yeah. Carly too. She was the one that ordered the pizza, Sam wanted tacos but they couldn't find anyplace open late." Max explained.

"I knew the two of them would be trouble." Jason said turning around to go back inside. "Oh, thanks for the warning by the way. Not really smart to fuck with your boss, especially when he's packing."

"Sam promised that she wouldn't let us get into any trouble if you got mad. It's kinda like a get out jail free card, figured now was as good a time as any to cash it in." Robbie said unable to hide the smile on his face.

"Just so you know, it's been quiet for about an hour in there. I think you're good until morning. But Sam did say that she had to up by five, no matter how much she argues and fights you, she has to be at the bakery by 5:30. So good-luck, see you tomorrow." Max finished as both men got on the elevator and the doors closed.

"This should be fun." Jason said to himself.

He decided to just go to sleep for a little bit and deal with the disaster zone later, he figured he would need his energy if he had any hope of getting Sam up for work in less than 2 hours. As he made his way upstairs he wasn't prepared for what was waiting for him in his bedroom.

He opened the door and couldn't stop smiling if his life depended on it. Sam was laying on her back in the middle of the bed wearing the paint shirt, just like he imagined on his way home. However in his imagination Carly wasn't laying sideways on his bed with her legs hanging off and her head resting on Sam's stomach wearing his bathrobe. Nor was Ruthie there on the other side of Sam, her face nestled in Sam's armpit fully dressed minus the shoes and the coat that were downstairs.

He couldn't believe them. They were grown woman, not crazy teenagers. He was dying to know what happened last night, but by the looks of things it would be a miracle if they remembered anything. Maybe Max and Robbie would be able to shed some light on the situation, those two guys earned their pay tonight. He could only imagine what kinds of things the three of them were doing before they passed out. He was impressed the men were still standing.

He wasn't really sure what to do, did he move them into more comfortable positions, or just leave them. Well if they fell asleep like that then they must be fine he thought. He made his way over toward his closet to get a change of clothes. As he walked past his bed he leaned over and placed a kiss to Carly's forehead before placing a blanket over her. Next he gently turned Ruthie's head away from Sam's armpit and covered her with a blanket as well.

Finally he worked his way to Sam and brushed the hair away from her eyes and that's when he saw a pretty nasty bruise forming on the right side of her jaw. He ran his fingers over it wondering what the hell happened to her. How could Max and Robbie not notice it, and how the hell did they let it happen. He was tempted to wake her up and make sure that she was okay but he knew that he should let her rest. He would find out what happened later, and if it turned out that someone touched her, they would pay. He leaned down and placed a few kisses to her bruised jaw and one last kiss against her lips.

"Umm, hi Jason." Sam mumbled clearly still asleep.

Jason smiled at the thought that she was dreaming about him. He lifted her hand to his lips and placed a final kiss to her knuckles before laying a blanket over her while trying to avoid Carly's head.

He walked out of the room and stopped at the door to look back. Clearly Carly and Sam had mended fences, but he wondered if their progress was fueled by alcohol, would they still be friends when they woke up? He hoped so, although he knew that meant a lot more trouble for him to deal with. But he would take the trouble if it meant all the people he loved, loved each other as well.

Jason cleaned off the couch enough to lie down, and while he lay there alone in a messy house, the girl he loved more than anything was upstairs passed out with a bruised face, and both of their best friends passed out with her.

His life with had gone from cold and lonely to warm and full of life in a matter of months. He had experienced both his best and worst days since meeting her, there had been ups and downs. Sam Mcall was defiantly changing him, he never dreamt of the future, never imagined what could be. Doctors told him that was the part of his brain that was damaged. But maybe he just hadn't met the person he wanted to dream with. Because as he drifted off to sleep that morning images of weddings, and children, Christmases and birthdays danced across his eyelids.

For the first time since his accident more than 10 years ago Jason Morgan was dreaming.


	16. Chapter 16

It seemed as though he had just closed his eyes when the obnoxiouis sound of his cell phone alarm woke him up. He reached over toward the offensive noise and shut it off, sat up and rubbed his eyes. He once again tried to imagine what in the hell went on in his penthouse the night before. His place was officially trashed. It surprised him that the thought actually brought a smile to his face, it meant that they must have had a good time. Jason shook the sleep from his head as he climbed the stairs preparing to wake Sam up for work. He knew that this would not be easy or fun. Sam was not a morning person.

He quietly opened the door to his bedroom hoping not to wake Carly, or Ruthie, at least they could get some sleep. He stood at the foot of his bed and grabbed Sam by the ankles and slowly pulled her toward him.

"Sam, you got to get up. It's 5:00." He said

Nothing.

He brushed the hair off her face and noticed the bruise forming on her jaw again. He hands formed fists at his sides just thinking that someone had the nerve to touch what was his. He ran his fingertips along the edges of the mark and smiled when she turned her head into his hand.

"Come on beautiful, you have to get up." He said as he gently shook her shoulders.

"Five minutes." She mumbled and turned over onto her stomach.

Jason lifted her up into his arms and carried her into the bathroom. He balanced her with one hand and turned on the water to the shower with the other. He knew that she would kill him for what he was about to do, but he also knew it was the only thing that would get her moving. Once the water had warmed up some he stepped into the stream with Sam still in his arms.

"Holy fuck! God dammit! Jason!" she screamed and flailed her arms trying to get away.

"Settle down, it's just water. You okay to stand?" he asked with a chuckled.

"YES!" Sam exclaimed as she shoved him out of the shower.

"God you are so violent in the mornings." He joked. Seconds later he was hit in the face with a soaking wet t-shirt.

"If I didn't feel like complete shit, I would kick your ass Morgan." She snarled.

That time he laughed out loud. "Hey, Sam what happened to your face?" he asked trying to control his anger.

"What's wrong with my face?" she asked sticking her head out of the shower, trying to see in the mirror.

Jason gently lifted her chin and tilted her head the right way for her to see the purple mark on her jaw.

"It looks like you got punched." He said as he cracked his neck.

"OH! I almost forgot." She laughed. "That would be the work of your best friend. She has quiet a right hook." She said as she got back in the shower.

"Carly did that? What the fuck for." He was pissed.

"Well it's kinda a long story."

"Sam…"

"Okay, um there was a lot of tension durning dinner last night so I pulled Carly aside and told her to get it all out. You know call me names and yell at me for what I did to you. She did and finished it off with a right hook that almost knocked me on my ass." She explained like it was nothing.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Well right now my head is pounding too hard to notice the pain in my jaw so I guess."

"I don't even know what to say. Do you need anything?

"COFFEE, asap! I'll meet you in the kitchen in 5 minutes." She said.

Jason exited the bathroom and grabbed some dry clothes out of his room on the way toward the kitchen. He started the coffee and went into the downstairs bathroom to change into dry clothes. As he came out he saw Sam standing in front of the coffee pot with her head on the counter.

He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist while his lips made their way to her neck.

"How ya doing?"

"Been better. Why is this taking soo long?" she wimpered at the coffee pot.

"Hey don't blame the appliances, they didn't pour the alcohol last night." He said as he worked his lips up and down her neck.

"Ture, that would have been Coleman. Hey can you get ahold of Michael and see if he can come in early today, like maybe 7:30, I would owe you big time." She said as she turned around in his arms, resting her chin on his chest.

"I love it when your in debt to me. I'll see what I can do." He said as he leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. "Coffee's done."

"Finally." She said as she filled her travel mug and headed to the door with Jason close on her heels. As she opened the door to leave she turned around and noticed the mess. "Jason you should really clean this place up, it looks like a tornado when through here." She smirked and squealed as he ran toward her. She had almost made it in to the elevator when Jason caught her around the waist.

"You got jokes Mcall. You know that you and your cohorts are cleaning this place up later." He told her.

"Yeah, sure whatever you say dear. Call me later. I love you. Oh and make sure you call Sonny and let him know that Carly is okay she forgot to call him last night."

Jason nodded his head, "I love you too." And with that the elevator doors closed.

Jason pulled his cell from his pocket and dialed Sonny.

"Hey" sonny answered half a sleep.

"Sorry to call so early, just wanted to let you know that Carly crashed at my place last night." Jason told him.

"Oh, okay. I guess that means things went okay?"

"Uh, yeah if you consider Carly decking Sam, and then the three of them partying like rockstars in my penthouse all night, then yeah things went okay." He said.

"We are in trouble with those too, huh?" sonny asked.

"More than I think we can even imagine. Hey do you think you can get Michael to go into work at 7:30 this morning, Sam can really use the help.

"Sure."

"I'll see you at the office later."

"Bye."

Jason went back inside and fell back onto the couch for a few more hours of sleep.

* * *

Dressed in a dark green coat and black baseball hat, Nico Dane hunched over the payphone waiting for someone to pick up.

"Pick up, god dammit!" he yelled impatiently tugging the baseball hat further down on his head.

"Yes?" the voice on the other end finally answered.

"It's been two fucking weeks and Morgan is still breathing! Care to explain to me what exactly I paid you for."

"Who is this?" the man chuckled.

"Don't fuck with me! I gave you $100,000 to kill that piece of shit and yet he is still alive."

"Calm down Dane. These things take time, but its funny you called today." He taunted

"I'll bite, why?" he asked.

"Morgan will be dead by the end of the day." And with that the line went dead.

Nico hung up the payphone and walked back toward his hotel room and he couldn't help the smirk that crossed his face. He would have his kitten back soon.

* * *

Jason grabbed the garbage can and headed back into his living room to start cleaning up the mess the girls had made the night before. Ruthie had made a graceful departure about an hour ago, muttering an apology as she walked out the door.

So that just left Carly upstairs sleeping. Jason had contemplated cleaning quietly but decided that since Carly had been the cause of many of his headache during their friendship it was time he caused her one. Plus he still wasn't too thrilled about the right hook she gave Sam. He shook his head just thinking about it and loudly threw another beer bottle in the trash can.

The noisey clean up lasted about 20 more minutes before Carly came stumbling down the stairs with a very pissed off look on her face.

"Could you be ANY louder, Jason?" Carly asked with her hand covering her eyes.

"Probably." Jason replied much louder than necessary.

"Shh! Best friend with a headache over here." She said as she laid down on the couch and put a pillow over her face.

"Oh, sorry!" Jason said as he pulled the pillow off her face. "Hey bestfriend, care to tell me why you punched my girlfriend in the face last night?" he asked as he threw the same pillow back at her.

"She asked for it." Carly said without moving as the pillow hit her in the face.

"How?"

"She told me to let out all my anger at her, not my fault that it came in the form of a fist." She finally moved the pillow off her face, opened one eye and smiled at Jason.

"Carly, I get that you are angry at Sam for what happened between us, but you can't go around punching everyone that you think deserves it." Jason reasoned.

"But even Sam thought she deserved it" Carly joked.

"Not funny. Look I thought that maybe last night you and Sam could get to know each other and form at least some kind of friendship, but I guess that was just wishful thinking." Jason said as he walked toward the kitchen.

"Wait! We did, we even hugged. Before all the alcohol." Carly yelled hoping he could hear her in the kitchen.

Jason walked back in carrying two cups of coffee. "What do you mean?" he asked as he handed her one of the cups.

"Thank you. Didn't Sam explain this? Or did she just tell you that I hit her?" carly asked.

"Well she said it was a long story, and she didn't have a lot of time to explain."

"Alright, well I yelled at her and told her that she broke her promise to me not to hurt you and that I couldn't just forgive her like you did, then I hit her." Carly shrugged her shoulders.

"And?" Jason said frustrated.

"And, she took it like a champ." Carly teased sensing Jason frustration.

"Carly."

"Sorry, umm then Sam explained that she knew she had messed up. She told me how she wished she could change things, that she made a dumb decision during a shitty situation. But the thing that got me was when she told me how lucky I have been to have you in my corner. I mean lets face it Jason, I have gotten myself into more shitty situations that I can count." Carly explained.

"I can count them for you if you like." Jason said. He knew all of them cause he was the one that had to clean up after her.

"No that okay, thanks. I'm just saying that for the first time I was able to see that she really does love you and she knows that you are amazing and she isn't going to do anything to lose you. I also realize that she makes you happy, and Michael, so that makes me happy." Carly admitted.

"Wow, I am impressed Carly." Jason smiled at her.

"Yeah, yeah! Just don't think she can replace me in your life cause she can't."

"No she can't, and I would be lying if I said I wanted her too. You make me crazy Carly but I don't know what I would do without you." he said and leaned down and kissed her forehead.

Carly slowly got up from the couch and smiled down at him. "Well enough with the mushy stuff, I am going home and to bed." She walked toward the door and stopped.

"I really do like her Jase, I mean I see what you see in her. And I am really happy for you."

Jason didn't know what to say, it was the first time Carly had ever said something like that to him about a woman he was dating. Not even Courtney, who was Carly's bestfriend received such a ringing endorsement. So he simply smiled and nodded his head and watched as she walked out the door.

* * *

"Sam? Are you back here?" Michael asked walking into the kitchen. He couldn't help the chuckled that left his mouth when he saw her resting her head on a bag of flour in the further corner of the bakery. "You can't hide back here Sam, you do own this place." He teased her.

"I'm not hiding, you're hiding! And I'll sell you the place real cheap if you promise me that I can go home and go to sleep." Sam whined.

"I still can't believe that my mom punched you, that is just so classic." Michael laughed.

"Believe it, she packs quiet the punch." Sam said as she lifted her head up off the flour and gave Michael a small smile.

"Well I have good news for you, Ruthie just called and said that she should be here in about 10 minutes. She also said that she would close up for you so if you think that I can handle this place alone for the next 10 minutes you are free to go home and go to bed."

"Oh my god, Michael, I could kiss you right now." She squeaked as she pulled the young kid into a hug.

"Don't get me wrong Sam, you are hot, but I think my girlfriend would be mad if we started making out. Plus Jason would probably kick my ass too."

"When did you become such a smart ass?" she asked as she grabbed her purse and coat.

"Would you rather me be a dumb ass?" he joked.

"Ha ha! Where did you get your sense of humor, I know it wasn't from Jason." She asked

"Just special I guess."

"Yeah, like short bus special." She told him as she headed out the door.

"Ouch Sam, that hurt. Since your going home does this mean I own this place now?" she heard him yell as she walked toward her car and couldn't help but smile. Michael really was a great kid and she was glad that she had gotten to know him over the last few weeks.

Once she got to her car she pulled out her cell phone, it was a little after 1pm and she was hoping that Jason would be free to take her to lunch. Being hungover always made Sam really hungry, which she was always told was really weird. But right now she was craving pizza and Jason, not necessarily in that order though.

"I was just going to call you." he picked up after the second ring.

"Great minds think alike. I want pizza." She said.

"What?" he asked.

"Well it turns out that I have the best friends ever. Ruthie is taking over the bakery for the rest of the day with help from Michael so that I can go home and get some sleep. But I am hungry so I was hoping my super hot and sweet boyfriend would buy me lunch before taking me home and putting me to bed." She explained

"I can't think of anything I would enjoy more than buying you pizza and then taking you to bed. I don't know how much sleep you'll be getting though."

"Great minds again, Morgan. Where are you?"

He laughed, "I'm down by warehouse 52 just finishing up with a shipment, you want me to pick you up?" he asked

"No I am already driving so I'll just pick you up. See you in like 5 minutes."

"Sounds good. Did I tell you how much I missed you last night?" he asked.

"No you didn't, but you are more than welcome to show me. After you feed me." She replied.

"Count on it beautiful, I love you." he told her.

"Love you too." And she hung up and headed toward the warehouse.

About 5 minutes later Sam pulled up to the warehouse 52 and didn't see Jason anywhere. She decided that he must be around the back so she parked her car and got out. As she rounded the corner she saw him standing talking to one of the dock workers, god he was gorgeous. She was about 100 yards from him when he turned and smiled at her and she was pretty sure that her heart skipped a few beats. She started walking faster not wanting to wait any longer to be in his arms. She was a few strides away from him when she saw it. It was just a flicker, like the sun hitting something metal, but it caught her eye drawing her attention toward a rooftop across the way. It seemed like forever before she figured out what it was.

"JASON! Get down." She screamed as she ran at him.

That's when he heard it.

Bang

Bang

Two shots, and Jason Morgan's world stopped.


	17. Chapter 17

He saw her coming toward him with a smile on her face that nearly stopped his heart. He still had a hard time believing that he had actually fallen so completely in love with her. She was his whole world.

He watched as her expression changed and everything went into slow motion. He saw the panic in her eyes. On instinct he turned to see what had her so scared and then she yelled at him to get down. That was when her body collided with his with more force than he would have thought possible, It knocked him off his feet just as the shots rang out. Jason watched in horror as both shots hit Sam, one in the shoulder the second in the chest.

His world stopped.

What felt like hours but was most likely only seconds past before things started moving again. Jason jumped up and ran toward her praying that she was alright. When he reached her he saw the blood, her blood everywhere.

"Someone call an ambulance, she's been shot." He screamed. Everyone around scurried into action not wanted to test the deadly enforcer patience.

Jason lifted her body and clutched it tightly to his chest, and placed his forehead against hers.

"Sam baby hold on, please! I'm right here you gotta hold on baby." He cried. "Please god! Sam please don't, you can't leave me! Please, please!"

"Ja..." Sam tried to talk but she couldn't breathe very well and she started coughing.

Jason opened his eyes when he heard her voice hoping that it was a sign that she would be okay, but that hope was quickly replaced with shear terror when he saw that she was coughing up blood.

"No, Sam don't talk. Just stay calm everything is going to be okay. The ambulance is on its way, you are going to be fine." He said as he brushed her hair out of her eyes and tried to smile through his fears.

"Are … you … okay?" Sam managed to choke out. She was terrified when she saw the sniper, the only thing she thought to do was push him out of the way. She just hoped that she did it in time.

Jason just nodded his head at her unable to find any words in that moment. Here she was lying on the ground with two bullets in her, bullets that were obviously meant for him, and she was worried about him. All he could think was that she had to be okay, because he had no clue what he would do if she wasn't

"I'm okay… don't worry … so much." Sam saw the fear that he was trying to hide and tried to ease some of it. She placed her hand over his heart. "I lo .. love you." she coughed out before things started to fade into darkness.

Jason swallowed the lump in his throat and brought her hand up to his lips, kissed her knuckles and held it there, needing to smell her skin and feel her warmth. "I love you too, so much" he said and watched as her eyes fluttered closed.

After the ambulance arrived everything turned into a blur for Jason. There were paramedics pushing him out of the way so that they could work on Sam. All he could do was stand there and watch. Jason was filled with so many new emotions he could barely tell which way was up. Fear, panic, helplessness. He wanted to do something to help her, he needed to do something to help her, but there was nothing he could do. So he just stood there, and he hated it.

The next thing he knew he was getting off the elevator at general hospital watching as they wheeled Sam into the operating room.

"Jason. Jason look at me." He heard his sister talking but couldn't focus on her voice. All he could hear was the sound of the gun shots over and over again in his head.

"JASON!" Emily screamed finally getting his attention.

"yeah." He looked at her for a moment then look back in the direction that they had taken Sam.

"They're taking her into surgery to remove the bullet from her chest and repair any damage that it may have caused. It's going to be a while, is there someone I can call for you?" she asked. She felt so bad for her brother, he was always the strong one. The one that held it together when things got bad, but right now he looked so lost and she didn't know what to do to help him.

"No, umm I'll call." He said hoping that doing something would alleviate some of the pain he was experiencing right now.

"Okay, I'm gonna be right over there if you need anything." Emily said and turned around to walk away.

"It's bad, isn't it?" he asked so quietly Emily barley heard him.

She turned around just nodded her head, she hated to have to be the one to tell him that Sam's chances were not good. She watched as the tears he was trying so hard to hold back finally broke through and she did the only thing she could in that moment. She wrapped her arms around him. She knew it wouldn't last long just a moment of weakness would be all he would allow himself. She wanted to tell him that everything was going to be alright, but she wasn't sure that it would be. She had never seen him like this before and she couldn't imagine what would happen to him if Sam didn't make it. So in that moment Emily did the only thing she could, she held big brother and let him cry.

* * *

Jason sat in the waiting room with his head in his hands. The only thought going through his head was why? Why did she push him out of the wau? It should have been him, it was supposed to be him. He was the one that should be lying on the operating table fighting for his life. It was never supposed to be her. He swore that his life would never touch her. But now here he was waiting to see if she was going to live. How would he ever make this okay?

He had already gotten into it with carly when she tried to get him to change his clothes and take a shower. She wanted him to get out of all those bloody clothes, she didn't realize that it was her blood. The blood that was shed because she saved his life. It was never supposed to be like this. He was supposed to save her not he other way around. Jason didn't know hpw he was going to go on knowing that Sam had sacrificed her own life to save his.

"Jason, she is tough. If anyone can make it through this, it's Sam." Sonny told him

"Yeah, she is going to pull through this jase, so you need to stop with the worry, okay?"

He merely nodded his head, not trusting his voice enough to actually speak. In fact if he didn't get out of there quickly he was sure that he was going to lose it completely. And since that was the last thing that he wanted he quickly rose to his feet.

"I have to get out of here for a little bit, if you hear anything please call me!" he told them as he quickly walked toward the elevator bank.

He pressed the button for the roof and waited, waited for the doors to open, hoping that the fresh air would do him some good. Hoping that the fresh air would give him strength and hope that the young woman who changed his life would make it through the surgery that she was currently undergoing.

* * *

Jason prayed. He prayed like he had never prayed before. He begged God not to take her. He begged god to spare her life. She was the one bright spot in his life and he was certain that without her his whole world would go dark. He needed her like he needed his next breath, and he would give up anything for to ensure that she would live.

"Please god! I know that I am the last person that should be asking for anything, but please! She deserves a chance to live, she is so full of light and life. I have never known anyone brighter. She makes me want to be better, she makes me dream. I swear to you if you save her I will do anything to make sure that she is safe. Even if that means keeping my distance I, I will do it. I will stay away from her as long as you let her live. Please I am begging you." He tried to keep the tears at bay but they began to flow. She was better than this. She deserved to have a full and happy life, and he was willing to walk away from her if it meant that she would have it.

He must have spent at least an hour on that rooftop looking at the stars and talking to god. He finally made his way back to the elevator so that he could check on sam"s condition. He had just stepped off the elevator when he noticed Monica step into the waiting room

He watched as Ruthie jumped from her chair and practically ran toward Monica.

"How is she?" Ruthie asked

"Well she is still listed in critical condition, but she is stable. She crashed on the table, twice, but she is young and she is a fighter. I think that she just might make it. We are transferring her to ICU right now. The next 24 to 48 hours will be critical, but I am very hopeful." Monica answered.

"When will we be able to see her?" carly asked.

"It should be another 15 minutes before she is in ICU, then you guys will be able to see her. One at a time is all that I can permit at this point. Her body needs to rest." Monica answered as her eyes connected with Jason.

He looked completely lost. It was at that moment that Monica knew that her son was in love. In love with the woman whose chest she just opened. And in that moment Monica didn't see Jason Morgan, enforcer to sonny corithos, she saw her son. Jason quatermain, the blonde hair blue eyed boy that she raised. The boy who's heart was so full of love that she couldn't have been prouder.

During the operation Monica had hoped that the young woman made it. But seeing the way her son reacted, she prayed that Samantha McCall survived. It was obvious even to her that he was completely and irrevocable in love with this woman. She had lost her son once, but she was positive that if this woman didn't make it, she would never see her Jason again.


	18. Chapter 18

It had been the longest three days of his life. Three days spent sitting in an uncomfortable hospital chair. Three days arguing with everyone that tried to convince him to go home and shower. Three days spent praying to god that Sam would wake up.

It was Monica who was able to assure him that Sam would be okay if he were to leave her side for 15 minutes to shower. Monica had told him that Sam was doing well and she should and would be waking up anytime.

That was all that he wanted. For her to just wake up. He needed to see those big brown eyes as much as he needed his next breath. But he still wasn't sure what he would do when she did wake up. He had made promises to god that night she was in surgery. He had promised to whatever it took to keep her safe. He promised he would leave her if it meant she would have a long life. But he had no idea how he was supposed to do that.

Jason Morgan knew how to live a solitary life. He was comfortable being alone, he enjoyed the silence that came along with it. He understood that the life he led was not meant to be shared. He had been left enough times to know that woman didn't understand his world, the violence and the uncertainty that came with it.

And then he met Sam.

She changed his life. She accepted him for who he was, and never judged him. She loved him not in spite of his flaws but because of them. She never tried to change him or make him feel that he wasn't worthy of her. She was everything he every wanted but was certain he would never have. So how was he supposed to walk away from the one person that meant more to him than his own life?

He thought back to the weeks that had spent apart after the incident with Nico, and literally flinched. He remembered the pain of losing her. He remembered the sleepless nights, the ache that seemed to be never ending. But most importantly he remembered the promise he made to her that night in the park.

He promised her he would never let her go again. So which promise did he break?

His thoughts were interrupted when the door opened. He looked up and saw Sonny enter the room. He nodded his head as a greeting, never letting go of Sam's hand.

"Hey, any change?" Sonny asked.

Jason just shook his head. "Monica said she could wake up anytime, we're just waiting on her." He answered.

"Well, you know women. They love to keep us waiting." Sonny joked hoping to lighten the mood a fraction.

Jason gave sonny an almost unnoticeable smile before turning his attention back to Sam.

"So I just wanted to keep you updated. I had Max and Johnny go over every inch of that rooftop and they didn't come up with anything. Whoever took the shots was a pro. I got the word out to the five families and if anyone hears anything they will let me know. We are going to fine this guy Jason."

"And when you do, he's mine." Jason responded in such a cold voice it even scared Sonny.

He knew that whoever shot Sam was as good as dead. Sonny had never seen his enforcer this deadly before, the shooters death would not be quick. It would be slow and painful, and he was sure that Jason would enjoy every second of it.

"I'll let you know if I hear anything. Make sure you give me a call when she wakes up, Carly and Michael are waiting to hear too." Sonny told him as he made his way toward the door.

"Yeah, I'll be sure to let you know." He said as Sonny left the room.

Jason laid his head back down on the bed, holding Sam's hand to his lips. He heard the door open again and assumed that Sonny had forgotten something. He was surprised when he looked up and saw Danny and Ruthie standing in the doorway.

Danny looked scared, and Jason's guilt multiplied. He knew that Sam was Danny's world, that he would be lost without her. It was something that the two men had in common. Jason knew that he had to be strong in front of Danny because Sam wouldn't want him to be scared, and he owed it to her to make sure her brother was okay.

"Hey Danny, Ruthie." Jason said as he stood from the chair and reluctantly released Sam's hand.

"Is my sister going to die?" Danny asked.

"NO!" Jason answered with confidence he didn't realize he had until that moment. "Your sister is the strongest person I know, she is going to be fine."

"She promised me that she would always be there when I need her, and Sammy always keeps her promises." Danny said and Jason saw the faith he had in his sister.

"That's right Danny. Why don't you go over there and sit with her, I bet she would love to know that you're here." Ruthie told him.

"Ruthie, she's sleeping! She's not going know that I here." Danny said with sadness.

"You know Danny, my Mom is a doctor here and she told me that talking to Sam is a really good thing. That if she hears the people she loves all around her that she would wake up even faster" Jason told him.

Jason watched as Danny crossed the room and sat in the chair he had just vacated and began talking to Sam like she was wide awake. He told her all about what he was doing in school, and how she would be so proud of him.

It was more than Jason could handle.

"I'm gonna give you two some time with her. I'll be back in a little bit." He told them as he bolted from the room.

It was in that moment that Jason realized how important Sam was to everyone around her. She was Danny's stability, Ruthie and Michael's confidant, Cary's partner in crime, and his everything.

Jason had spent about 45 minutes on the roof, giving Danny and Ruthie some time alone with Sam, before he headed back toward her room. As he turned the corner he noticed her room was full. There were doctors and nurses surrounding her and Danny and Ruthie were standing far off in the corner, both had tears coming down their faces.

He froze. His brain told him to go find out what had happened but his heart wouldn't let him move from where he stood. He had never felt fear like this before. It literally paralyzed him, and he despised it. If she was in trouble he knew that she would need him there, but he couldn't go to her. He couldn't be in that room if she was dying.

"Jason!" He heard Emily yelling his name but he couldn't take his eyes off the commotion in Sam's room.

Emily noticed the panicked expression on her brothers face, and realized what he thought was happening.

"Jason, she's awake." She told him.

His head snapped in her direction. His eyes filled with tears. He was barely able to find his voice.

"She's awake?" he chocked out.

"Yeah, Mom's in there checking her out. But she seemed okay." Emily was glad to be the one to give him the great news.

She expected him to blow past her to get to Sam but instead he just stood there, like he was rooted to the ground.

"Jason get in there. She was asking for you."

Panic flooded his whole body. He didn't know what to do. He knew that he should run to her. Take her in his arms and never let her go, but for some reason he couldn't. It went against everything that he wanted but he couldn't stop himself.

"Emily, I have to go check on something for Sonny. Can you tell her I love her." And with that he ran out of the hospital before he could change his mind.


	19. Chapter 19

"Well Sam, things look pretty good. I mean I am ordering some tests and we will no more when we get the results back, but it looks like you are on your way to a full recovery.

Sam tried to smile at Jason's mother but she was in a lot of pain. Her arm was killing her and if felt like someone had parked their car on her chest. She knew that the pain meant she was alive and that was a good thing.

She had been fighting through what felt like a thick fog for what felt like years. She heard voices and she would try to respond but she couldn't. She had felt Jason holding her hand and she tried to open her eyes but nothing happened. When she finally found the strength to open her eyes she expected to see Jason but instead she saw Danny.

She was glad that Danny and Ruthie were there but she couldn't help but wonder where Jason was. When she had asked for him, Emily told her that he was in the hospital somewhere and she would go and find him. She was grateful, she needed him.

She heard the door opening and her head shot up hoping to see the blue eyes she had been dreaming about. But it was only Emily. To say she was disappointed would be an understatement. She noticed the expression on Emily's face and she started worrying.

"Did you find Jason?" Danny asked.

"Umm.. Yeah I did." Was all she said.

Sam knew that something was wrong. She could see it all over Emily's face.

"Is he coming?" Sam asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"He said … he had to take care of something. He wanted me to tell you that he loves you."

"Did he say when he would be back?" she had to ask even though she knew that he hadn't.

Emily didn't answer, she just shook her head. Monica noticed the way Sam's eyes filled with pain and she wondered what the yell was wrong with her son. It was obvious to anyone that had seen him the last three days that he was waiting for her to come back to him, and now that she had he was nowhere to be found.

"Okay, I hate to do this but I have to be the doctor now. I need to ask everyone to leave so that I can better examine Sam, then she is going to be sent for some tests, you will all be welcome back in a little while." Monica said.

Ruthie made her way to Sam a gently wrapped her arms around her. "I am so glad that you are okay. And if you ever scare me like that again I'll kill you." she laughed.

"Promise." Sam responded.

"I knew you would never break your promise to me Sammy." Danny said as he hugged his sister.

"Never. It's always you and me, big brother. I love you." Sam told him.

"I love you too."

"Come on Danny, we'll go get something to eat and then we can come back so you can say good-bye before you head back to school." Ruthie said.

"Okay." Danny waved to his sister on his way out of the room.

Sam waved back but couldn't seem to take her eyes off the window that looked out into the hall. She knew that Jason wouldn't be walking through the door but she could hope.

Emily noticed that Sam was looking for Jason and she felt so bad for her. She had no idea what was going through her brothers head, it was wrong of him not to be there when she so clearly needed him.

"alright Sam, I am going to take you down to get started on those tests, and I am sure by the time we get back Jason will be here waiting." Emily told her with as much confidence as she could.

Sam just nodded and turned her head away. She didn't want Emily or Monica to see her cry. Jason knew that she was awake and he choose to go run an errand for Sonny. She knew what that meant, he was pulling away. And she knew why, he was scared. She saw the fear in his eyes when he was holding her after she got shot. She just hoped he would be able to get over it soon because she needed him right now. He was the reason that she fought so hard to come back and he owed it to her to be here. He had made her a promise and she was sure that he would keep it, but maybe she was wrong. And that thought broke her heart. She had survived two gun shot wounds but she wasn't sure if she would be able to survive a broken heart again.

Jason had run out of the hospital and jumped into the SUV that Max had dropped off. He climbed into the front seat and placed his head on the steering wheel and he let the tears he had held in finally flow down his face. She was awake. She came back to him. He couldn't describe the joy that he felt when he heard Emily say those words to him. Everything in him wanted to run into that room and wrap her in his arms and feel her warmth, but he couldn't. And it felt wrong, he knew that he should be with her in his heart, but his brain was telling him that if he stayed with her she would be in danger. He understood that if he were to walk away from her that he would be making decisions for her. She knew what being with him meant and she never hesitated, she jumped into his life with her eyes open and that had to mean something right. Logically he knew all the reasons that walking away from her would be wrong but he couldn't stop himself. Then something hit him, saying that it was to protect her was complete bullshit. He was trying to protect himself. The fear that he felt when he held her in his arms shot and bleeding was like nothing he had ever felt before. Losing her would be worst then death, and by walking away maybe he wouldn't ever have to feel that way again. Sure he would be completely miserable without her but at least she would be alive and well. He knew that without her in the somewhere in the world his life would be meaningless.

He wiped the tears from his cheeks and started the car. He drove toward the penthouse that he had been avoiding for the last three days. He wasn't sure if he would be able to walk inside, she was in there. Her clothes, her smell, her laugh. She had made his penthouse a home. She was always making him sit down and eat dinner with her and spinelli, they would sit around the table and talk, well mostly Sam and spinelli talked, but Jason found that he enjoyed it more than he would have ever thought he would. She had changed him, and for that he would be forever grateful.

He pulled into his parking spot at Harbor View Towers and got into the elevator, he exited at the penthouse and turned toward his front door. He stood there with his keys in his hands for a minute too scared to go inside. That's when he heard something behind him. He turned to see Carly and Michael practically running over each other to get to the elevator button.

"Jason! Ruthie just called and told us that Sam's awake, what are you doing here?" Michael asked.

Jason just stood there, not sure how to explain to his nephew that he was too scared to see her. That if he walked into that hospital room his heart would overrule his head and he would never be able to leave her, not even for her own good.

"Are you here to get some of Sam's stuff? Because if that's the case I could get it and you can head back to the hospital. I know that it is probably killing you to be away from her." Carly said before he could have replied anyway.

Carly watched as Jason took a deep breath and ran his hands over his face. She could tell that he was struggling with something and she couldn't figure out what it was. Sam was awake, he should be ecstatic right now, but he was in obvious pain.

"Jason? What's going on? Is something wrong with Sam?" Carly started to panic.

"Uhh…no. Not that I know of anyway." He replied.

"Not that you know of, what does that mean?" Michael asked confused by his uncle's current state.

"Michael, why don't you head to the hospital and see Sam. I am going to stay here and help Jason get some things together and we will see you there." Carly told her son. She need to figure out what in the hell was going on with her best friend.

"Sure mom. I let Sam know that you guys will be there soon." He said as he got onto the elevator, he waved as the doors closed.

"Okay, he's gone. Do mind telling me what in the hell is going on with you?" She asked.

"Nothing." He said as he turned back toward his front door. He put the key in the lock and pushed open the door.

"Nothing my ass. I know you Jason and something is wrong. I have tried to get you to leave Sam's bedside for days and you refused. But less than an hour after she wakes up you're here. Why?" Carly pressed.

"Look Carly, I don't want to talk about this. I just want to go inside." Jason said knowing that his answer would not make her go away.

"Is it Sam? Is something going on with her that you don't want to tell me?" Carly questioned.

"I honestly don't know what is going on with Sam." God that sounded so wrong. How could he not know what was going on with her. Just because she was awake didn't mean that she was okay. He ran out of the hospital without even waiting to see if she was alright. What kind of man was he? She deserved someone better than him.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Carly was confused.

"I mean that Danny and Ruthie were with her when she woke up, and when Emily came to tell me I left."

"You left? Why?"

"I had some stuff to take care of for Sonny." He said hoping that she would just let this go.

"What stuff? Did you find out who shot Sam?" she asked knowing that would be the only business that would be important enough to get Jason away from Sam.

"No."

"Alright, cut the shit jase, why aren't you with Sam right now? And you need to tell me the truth." Carly demanded.

"I can't" was all he could say.

"Why not? Did she ask you to leave or something?"

He just shook his head, no.

"Jason! What the fuck is going on with you?" Now she was starting to get pissed.

"I can't be with her anymore. She deserves someone that can keep her safe, and that isn't me." He choked out.

Carly just looked at him and shook her head. "Jason, don't do this. You love her that is all that matters."

"I do love her, that's why I have to let her go." Jason said as he turned and walked into the kitchen, praying that Carly would leave.

"So what, you're just going to break her heart to protect her? That is the stupidest thing that I have ever heard you say, Jason." Carly followed him hoping to talk some sense into him.

When he didn't respond she continued, "So it's that easy for you? To just walk away from her. You can just turn off all those feelings? Just like that." Carly said snapping her fingers for dramatic effect.

"Does it look like this is easy for me? It's killing me not to be there with her right now. All I have wanted for the last three days is to be able to look into her eyes and tell her that I love her, that she is everything to me. But I have to love her enough to walk away." He yelled.

"NO, Jason. YOU have to love her enough to stay." Carly yelled back.

"Look carly I know that you are trying to help, but you should just go to the hospital and see Sam." He said, and carly saw that he was shutting down.

"you know, when you called me a couple of days ago and told me that Sam wanted to spend some time with me, I wanted to tell you to go to hell. I thought that you were an idiot to take her back after what she had done to you. I swore that no matter how many times she apologized it wouldn't matter, Sam and I would NEVER be friends. But you know what happened? I saw that she was willing to fight for you. That she would go up against anyone and anything to be with you, even me. I saw it in her eyes, how much she loved you. For the first time ever I saw a woman who deserved you, who made you happier than I have ever seen." Carly paused to wipe the tears that were starting to fall from her eyes, and she noticed that Jason was fighting back the tears himself. "Jason, if you're not willing to fight for her the way that she fought for you, then maybe you are right. She deserves someone better."

"I'm just trying to save her life." he said barely above a whisper.

"Don't try, do it. You go to her and you tell her that you love her, that you want to live a life with her. No matter how long it lasts, 15 minutes 15 years it doesn't matter because you two love each other. And you're lucky if you have that because most people don't get it, and you're too smart to waste it." And with that she turned around and left the penthouse to go and see Sam.

When Jason heard the front door slam shut he leaned against the wall behind him, looking at the ceiling.

He cried as his body slid down the wall. If what he was doing was right, then why did it feel so wrong? Maybe Carly was right. That alone was a scary thought, but nothing compared to the thought of living the rest of his life without Sam.

In that moment he knew what he had to do. He jumped up off the ground and ran toward the door. He had to get back to the hospital. He had to tell Sam that he was sorry and that he loved her.


	20. Chapter 20

Sam sat alone in her hospital room. Ruthie and Danny had just left, so that he could get back to school before curfew. She was actually thankful for the time to herself. She wondered where Jason was, if he was thinking about her at all. She liked to think that he was, that he was just letting his fear dictate his actions, but did that make his actions forgivable? That wasn't something that she could answer. She didn't want to be hurt and angry but she was. The only thing she knew for sure was if Jason had decided to walk away from her she was more than willing to let him. Yes, it would be like ripping her heart out but she refused to beg him to come to her like she so desperately wanted to do.

She was pulled from her current thoughts when she heard the door open. She looked up and saw Michael walk in.

"Hey Sam." He said with a huge smile.

"Hey Mikey, how are you?" she asked.

"Isn't that supposed to be my question?" he joked.

"I guess so. I am okay, pretty sore but the medication is taking the edge off." She told him.

"That's good, you know you scared the shit out of a lot of people."

"Watch your mouth Michael." Carly said as she walked into the room.

"Sorry mom didn't see you there." He responded.

Carly rolled her eyes at her oldest son as she walked toward Sam. "Hey beautiful, it's so good to see you up." She told Sam as she wrapped her arm around her shoulders and sat on the edge of the bed.

"It's nice to see you too Carly." Sam said.

"Hey mom, where's Jason? I thought you two were coming together?" Michael asked.

"Uh, he must have stopped for something." Carly knew that she had to get Michael to shut up before he started to worry Sam.

"I don't get what is going on with him, he was acting so weird when we saw him earlier…"

"Michael why don't you go and get me a coffee." Carly interrupted him.

"Sure, Sam did you want anything? I mean are you allowed to have anything?" Michael asked.

"No, I am fine Mikey. Thanks though."

Once Michael had left the room Sam turned to look at carly.

"You saw Jason?" she asked.

"Yup, he was at the penthouse. I think that he was getting some stuff for you." Carly spoke in an absentminded tone while fidgeting with the blanket.

Sam could tell that Carly was hiding something. It was the way she wouldn't look Sam in the eyes.

It confirmed all of her fears, Jason wasn't coming back. And the thought broke her heart. She wanted to get out of the stupid hospital bed and go to Jason and tell him that he didn't have to do this, that what happened wasn't his fault. She knew that he was blaming himself which was stupid because there was just as much of a chance that her getting shot had to do with Nico and not his business. She wanted to go to him and beg him not to do this that what he was doing to her hurt ten times more than the stupid bullet wound.

But she wouldn't be that woman. The woman that begged a man to take her back. She was stronger than that, and even though it hurt like hell she was going to let Jason do whatever he wanted to. If he was willing to walk away from her when she needed him the most the she would let him.

"Carly, as much as I love having you and Mikey here, I am really tired. I think that I am going to try and close my eyes and get some sleep." Sam told carly.

"Oh, sure. We'll get out of your hair. But don't think for a second that I won't be back later to annoy you to death with my hovering." Carly responded.

"I can't think of anything I would enjoy more." Sam said with a smile.

Carly leaned down and kissed Sam's temple before heading toward the door. She knew she shouldn't say anything but she couldn't stop herself.

"He's just scared. I know that doesn't make it hurt any less, but I just thought you should know." Carly said without turning to look at Sam.

"I'm scared too." She replied barely above a whisper and Carly knew that Sam was scared that she was losing Jason. Carly wished that she could say something to ease Sam's fears but she couldn't think of anything, so she just left Sam alone.

Alone.

That's how Sam felt. Completely alone. More alone that she had ever felt in her entire life and that was saying something. Sam had some pretty lonely moments in her life but the thought of living the rest of her life without Jason left her with an emptiness she had never felt before. And she hated it. She hated sitting in this stupid hospital bed waiting for him to come to her. She had to get out of here before she started screaming.

With more energy then she should have she threw the blankets back and tossed her feet over the side of the bed. Her body responded with a searing pain that shot from her chest through her entire body. She bit down on her body lip to keep from yelling out and managed to set her bare feet onto the cold hospital floor. She slowly made her way to the door of the room and peeked out into the hallway. She knew that if anyone saw her out of bed they would force her back into it. Luckily for her the coast was clear. She walked as quickly as she could the 25 feet to the door to the stairwell. She made it without being detected. She summoned all the strength she could find and started to make her way to the roof, hoping that some fresh air would help ease the ache she felt in her chest. She wished the ache was from the bullet wound but she knew that the pain was coming from somewhere much deeper, a place that not even the highest grade pain killers could soothe.

"You stupid fucker! You were supposed to take out Morgan! You almost fucking killed her." Nico dane yelled into the phone.

"Well my shooter didn't expect that sexy woman to jump into the line of fire. It was a mistake." The other man said.

"A mistake! I want the guy's name, because he is going to pay." Nico demanded.

"Don't worry Dane, that problem has already been … handled." The voice replied before ended the call.

Nico threw the phone against the wall and took comfort in watching the broken pieces fall to the ground.

"He may have handled the shooter but if Ric Lansing thinks I won't be dealing with him personally he's got another thing coming."

Jason wanted to get back to the hospital as soon as possible but decided to take the opportunity to shower and change his clothes. He was hoping it would help clear his mind so that he could figure out a way to explain to Sam why he wasn't there when she woke up. He knew that no explanation would make things okay, but he just prayed that she would forgive him for his momentary lapse in sanity.

20 minutes later he was in his suv on his way back to the hospital and back to Sam. He still hadn't come up with any way to justify his actions. All he could do at this point was apologize and pray that Sam would accept it.

Jason pulled into the hospital parking garage got of his car and made his way to the elevator. Once he arrived on the 4th floor he quickly exited and walked past the nurse's station and made a right down the hallway toward Sam's room. As he rounded the final corner he noticed a small group of people gathered outside of the room, Monica, Carly, Michael and that doctor that had been updating him on Sam's condition over the last few days. The panic set in instantly. He knew that something was wrong.

"What's going on?" he asked before anyone even realized he was there.

"Uh…" Monica started.

"Is she okay?" He asked.

"Well the last time I checked on her she seemed to be healing." The doctor whose name he couldn't remember answered.

"Then why are you all standing out here, and why do you all look worried." Jason snapped trying to walk past everyone to look into Sam's room.

"She told me she wanted to get some sleep. If I thought for one second she would disappear I never would have left her by herself." Carly admitted.

"What do you mean disappear? She's not in there?" Jason asked finally making it to the room and throwing open the door. He quickly went into enforcer mode, checking the room for any signs of a struggle. Any indication at all that Sam left the room against her will. The relief that flooded him when it appeared that Sam had left on her own quickly vanished when he realized she was still in danger. She had just woken up from a surgery that removed a bullet from her chest, there was no way in hell she should be up and walking around right now.

"How the hell does someone who is suffering from a bullet wound just get up and leave her room? What the fuck kind of hospital is this?" Jason yelled.

"Jason, I get that your upset but it's not like we can tie her to the bed." Monica explained.

"Plus, you know better than anyone that if Sam wants to do something then she's gonna do it, tied to the bed or not." Michael added with a chuckle.

"Mr. Morgan, do you have any idea where Ms. Mcall would go?" the doctor asked.

"Carly, how did she seem when you left her?" he asked.

"Well she asked me about you. I tried to tell her that you would be here soon, but I'm pretty sure she thought I was lying. Then she told me she wanted to get some sleep. I told her I would be back later and she said she looked forward to it. So I am thinking maybe she just wanted to get out of this room for a minute." Carly explained.

"She shouldn't be out of bed at all. She barely made it through that surgery and her running around this hospital for whatever reason is putting her life at risk." Monica explained.

"We have security looking for her, but so far she isn't anywhere in the building." The doctor said.

"She seemed really lonely when I first got here." Michael said hoping to help in some way.

Jason stood by the window rubbing his hands over his face trying to think of anything that would be able to help find Sam. But when he heard Michael his head snapped up.

"I think I know where she is." He said as he walked past everyone and out of the room.

****Flashback****

Jason had been out for hours. He tossed his keys on the desk and took off his jacket throwing it over the chair. He walked to the closet and got down the lock box he used to store his gun. Once his 9mm was safely locked away he turned to head up the stairs, all he wanted at this point was to crawl into bed with Sam. As his foot hit the bottom step he noticed the balcony doors were cracked open. He slowly made his way toward the doors pushing them open further before stepping into the dark night.

A smile formed on his face when he saw Sam precariously sitting on the ledge of the balcony. It wasn't the first time that Jason had found her dangling her legs hundreds of feet off the ground, and even though he knew how much she loved it, it still made him slightly nervous. Crossing the distance between them he wrapped a strong arm around her waist pulling her back against his chest.

"You know when you sit up there like that it scares the shit out of me." He said as he kissed the right side of her neck.

"I do know that, but I have got to keep you on your toes, Morgan. Wouldn't want you to get bored." She responded while leaning her head giving him more access to her neck.

"Yeah, bored is not really an emotion that I would associate with you." he said with a chuckled.

"And I plan on keeping it that way. So how was work? Did you have to shoot anyone?" she asked with a chuckle of her own.

He shook his head at her, still amazed at how accepting she was of his life. "Only the bad guys." He joked.

"Aww, my hero." She swooned as she turned her body around so that she was facing him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and lazily hung her arms over her shoulders and placed a slow kiss to his waiting lips.

"You know it still catches me a little off guard when you look at me like that, knowing what I was out doing tonight." He told her tucking her hair behind her ear.

"You know being in love doesn't mean you found the perfect person, it's just that you see an imperfect person perfectly." She said as he leaned down and kissed her again.

"Where did you hear that?"

"I think its something my dad said to me when he was trying to guilt me out of money." She said with a sheepish smile.

Jason placed his fingers under her chin and gave her a lazy kiss that left them both a little breathless.

"I missed you."

"Missed you more." She replied

"So what are you doing out hers so late. You should be sleeping."

"I was lonely in that big old bed without you. So I decided to come out here and look at the stars. They are so beautiful." Sam said while gazing at the twinkling lights high in the sky.

"Yes they are, but I have to say I've seen something, or someone, more beautiful." He said while brushing his fingers across her cheek.

She smiled at him, and then looked back up at the stars. "I've had some pretty lonely nights in my life. But for some reason the stars have always brought me comfort. Like even though things seem bad there is still light in the world, I guess they give me hope." She said looking into his eyes.

"I kind of hate that you feel lonely here." He said.

"Don't do that! My life isn't lonely anymore, but sometimes when I miss you I come out here because I know that wherever you are in the world we are still under the same stars."

Jason pulled her tighter against him and kissed her with all the love he had. She was everything he had ever wanted but was too scared to wish for. And he still wasn't sure exactly what he did to deserve her. He straightened his body bringing her butt off the ledge and turning around with her in his arms. He walked back into the penthouse closing and locking the doors behind him, never once loosening his hold on her. He flipped off the lights that were still on downstairs before bring the woman who changed his life back to bed where he planned on showing her exactly what she meant to him.

****End of Flashback****

Jason quickly walked up flight after flight of stairs to get to the roof of the hospital. The closer he got the more convinced he was that she was up there, and the thought that she had climbed all these stairs in her condition just to feel closer to him pulled at his heart. He had to figure out a way to make this right. Even if she never forgave him he had to make her understand how much he loved her.

Finally making to the door to the roof he reached for the door handle and noticed that his hand was shaking. One of the worlds most notorious and efficient hit men's hand was shaking with fear that was a first for him. Trying to get his nerves under control he turned the handle and pushed the door open. He was hit in the face with a cold wind forcing him to squint his eyes slightly. He stepped out onto the roof top his eyes searching for her.

He saw her standing near the ledge. She was only wearing a hospital gown and socks. No shoes, no robe. Her hair was pulled up off her neck in a messy ponytail. He slowly crossed the roof toward her, when he was about 2 steps away she quickly turned around to face him.

His already fragile heart just about shattered when he saw the look in her eyes. Her red, puffy eyes made it clear that she had been crying, and he knew that it was his fault. He knew that no matter what happened between them from here on, he would never forget the way she looked up on that roof in the moon light. He would also never forget the words she spoke to him.

"You promised."


	21. Chapter 21

"Sam…" he started to say but she interrupted him.

"You know I've heard people in this town talk about you. Some of them say that you're a cold blooded killer, a robot without emotions. But I always thought I knew better, I understood that those people didn't know you. The people who know you, Carly, Michael, Spinelli, even Maxie, they don't say those things about you. They say that you are loyal, and protective, and that you never break promises to the people you care about. I just thought that I was one of those people, someone you cared about. Guess the jokes on me."

"NO…"

"You promised not to let go! But you did, and you did it when I need you the most. I never really knew until the moment I woke up how bad it could hurt to lose something that you never really had." She finished and turned her back to him, looking back out at the city lights.

"You think that I don't care about you?" Jason asked in shock.

"What am I supposed to think?" she asked without turning around.

"You are supposed to know that you mean everything to me." Jason voiced got louder with each word.

Sam laughed dryly. "If I meant anything to you, you would have been there when I need you."

"I COULDN"T FUCKING BREATH!" he screamed but Sam was very careful not to flinch at his words.

He couldn't stand there and listen to her say these things, act like what they shared wasn't real. He started taking deep breaths trying to calm down, trying to control the emotions that were currently raging inside him.

"When I woke up from that coma the doctors said that I didn't feel things like a normal person. I don't feel fear. That's why I am good at what I do. I don't know how to imagine things so I'm forced to live my life in the moment. I don't know how to look back and wish I could change something. I don't do 'what-if'. But the moment that I heard those gun shots, and I saw you on the ground, it was the only thing I could do." Jason was now standing directly behind her. The top of her head less than an inch from his chin it took every ounce of strength he had not to wrap his arms around her.

"I knew that it was my fault, and I wished more than anything that I was able to change it, to take back that moment. I still do. And for the first time in my life I felt that fear and I couldn't control it. It paralyzed me and I hated it. I NEVER wanted to feel that way again." He took a deep breath and placed his hands on her shoulders turning her to face him.

"I tried to convince myself that if I loved you then I should walk away and give you the chance at a normal, safe life. That walking away was the noble thing to do. But the truth is I'm scared." He admitted.

She was crying, tears streaming non-stop down her cheeks. She didn't want to hear these things. It just made it harder, it was easier to be mad at him then it was to be hurt by him.

"So you get scared and you just walk away?" she asked as she wiped away the treacherous tears that she couldn't seem to stop from falling.

"Do you remember what you told me the night we got back together?" he asked.

Sam knew what he was referring to so she simply nodded her head and kept her eyes focused on the ground.

"You told me that sometimes we say good-bye to the person we love without wanting to. But that doesn't mean that we stopped caring or that we stop loving them." He reminded her.

She finally looked into his eyes and she saw his hurt mirrored hers.

"I didn't really get it at the time, Sam. I didn't really understand what you meant, but I do now. Sometimes saying good-bye is a painful way to say I love you."

"So you're scared. Where does that leave us?" she asked.

"Sam, you make me feel things that I don't understand because I have never felt them before. And yes, it scares me, but I'm trying to figure it out." He explained.

"We can't seem to get this right, one of us is always walking away. We let out fears dictate our actions, and I'm starting to think that maybe we just aren't right for each other" She conceded and tried to walk past him. The pain in her chest was starting to become unbearable and it was making her lightheaded. She wasn't feeling up to having this conversation right now, she just wanted to go back to her room. She made it back to the door that led to the stairwell before she felt his fingers wrap around her wrist. She felt his breath against her ear and heard him whisper.

"Don't tell me we aren't right for each other. Cause the way I see it, we aren't made for anyone else" he said with more sincerity than Sam had ever heard. "I love you Sam, and I am sorry that I wasn't here when you opened those beautiful eyes. But I'm here now and I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon. Please…don't walk away from us."

Sam dropped her had from the door knob and placed her forehead against the door. She took a deep breath and turned around giving Jason a small smile.

"I don't think I know how." She replied with a shrug.

"Well that's a start." He smiled back and noticed her wince in pain.

"Come on, you need to get back into bed." He reached out and pulled her into his side and for the first time felt how cold she was.

"Jesus, Sam you're freezing." He said taking off his jacket and wrapping it around her tiny body.

"Hmmm. This is actually the first time since I woke up that I've felt warm." She said looking up at him.

He had helped her down the first flight of stairs before he heard her cry out in pain. Jason quickly lifted her into his arms. Sam snuggled closer to his chest resting her head in the crook of neck. Jason knew they still had a lot of things to discuss but he also knew that as long as they were both willing to fight for each other everything would be okay.

"You know just because you said all that stuff up there doesn't mean that you're not in big trouble with me Morgan." Sam said.

"And don't think just because I am grateful that you're giving me a chance to show you what you mean to me, I am not really pissed that you risked your life tonight by getting out of bed and climbing all the way up to the roof Mcall." He countered.

"I just wanted to see the stars." She explained.

"I know." He told her needing her to know that he understood.


End file.
